


Ghosts from the Past

by GokuGirl



Series: Age of the Empire [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-10-19
Updated: 2002-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:30:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4412138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GokuGirl/pseuds/GokuGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part One of the Shukumei Trilogy. Planet Vegeta is destroyed and its survivors are scattered throughout the universe. One man seeks his lost people in addition to his lost son, but there is little hope that either will be found. During the search, he runs into the one responsible for the near-extinction of the Saiya-jin race, a being who is willing to do whatever it takes to finish the job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story won first place in the alternate universe category in the 2002 Vegeta Insaiyan Fanfiction Competition.
> 
> I'm trying one more time to rewrite this fanfic, hopefully it'll turn out to be excellent this time around. Several things have been altered from the Dragon Ball Z original, most of it takes place in the Bardock Special (or Bardock: Father of Goku as the dub is called). This basic story of the "empire" series remains the same as the two previous "The New Age Empire" stories.  
>   
>  **A Note About My Titles:** The entire saga is called "Age of the Empire". There are probably going to be three trilogies within the entire thing and the first one's called "Shukumei", or destiny. The name of this story (which is part one of the first trilogy) is "Ghosts from the Past". Is anyone still confused? No? Good.  
>   
>  **Warnings:** Profanity, graphic violence, death, mature subject matter, one instance of non-consensual sex, and pathetic descriptions of things related to outer space. Reader discretion is advised. I really don't consider alternate universe a warning, but this fanfic is 99.9% A/U. While based from the original series, things *have* been changed. There is also a special Vegeta angst/torture warning. He will be both physically and emotionally harmed so if you are unable to handle that, I suggest you read another fanfic.  
>   
>  **Acknowledgements:** A big domo arigatou to Madoka for catching all of my goofy mistakes as my beta reader and G-Kun Son for giving me advice. I also want to thank all of the reviewers and the people who took time to read this fic.  
> 

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 1**

  
Planet Vegeta's destruction had been predicted long before the actual deed had been done. The ruler, King Vegeta, had been warned over and over again by his senior advisors about the dangers an alliance with Furiza would eventually bring. It was just too risky to conduct any sort of business with the Changeling. His most trusted advisors had done nearly everything underneath the sun to make Vegeta see reason and, though he acknowledged their fears, he still went on to sign the contract.  
  
At that moment a clock had begun to count down. The Saiya-jin race had only a small amount of time left and, and if no one acted quickly, nothing of them would remain save a few occasionally told stories.  
  
Prince Vegeta had only been a small child then, barely old enough to speak in a way that made sense, so no one listened to him. And at night, when the training was over and the lights were shut off, he trembled in fear beneath his blanket. Would everything still be here when he awoke in the morning? Would *he* still be there when the day dawned anew? Those very same questions he'd asked himself over and over again, hoping that he would somehow discover the answers to them.  
  
A few months after his sixth birthday, he heard a man named Bardock announce that he had seen Furiza destroy their planet. Of course, no one believed him at the time since they were standing right on the very same planet he spoke of and dismissed him without a second thought, but Vegeta spoke to the man even though he'd only been a third-class warrior. Bardock told him of Furiza's deed, describing in detail the events that lead up to it. The child then looked directly into his eyes and believed every single word. There was nothing insane about him, he spoke the truth.  
  
His father was a lost soul, destined from the moment he agreed to join Furiza's side in planetary conquest to die by Treachery's cruel hand. There were few Saiya-jin who had tolerated the Changeling and even fewer who had trusted him. Between the two of them they gathered a large force and prepared their departure from the planet. Bardock told them all that there were only a few hours left in its existence.  
  
Bardock had a son that they sent off planet only minutes before he returned with his prophecy. Kakarotto was also in his visions, exacting vengeance for his race (whether he was aware of it or not) by murdering Furiza. Bardock had been searching for the planet they sent him off to ever since that day.  
  
He would probably never see him again, the universe was just too vast.  
  
Bardock was in his quarters marking off the galaxies they'd recently searched. It was an easy thing to check for life energy similar to his by using a device one of the other Saiya-jin had developed. But, after searching twelve galaxies, there seemed to be no other choice but to give up hope.  
  
' _Do I look for my father in the off chance that he survived the explosion of our planet?_ ' Vegeta asked himself. ' _I don't care if the old man's being tortured by Furiza, he doesn't matter to me at all. Kakarotto matters to Bardock, though, so that's probably why he hasn't given up yet even though we all know he's a lost cause._ '  
  
Vegeta stood before the door of Bardock's cabin, a little tired of the endless mission they'd been on for years. He had come of age on the ship and was starting to think that he'd die on the ship without ever setting foot upon land again.  
  
The door opened before he could knock and Bardock stared at him from tired eyes. "I'm not going to find him, am I?"  
  
He looked at the man that had become like a father to him and nearly kept silent. How could he tell him that the chances of finding Kakarotto had been next-to-impossible in the first place and that the last seventeen years were just a stretch of completely wasted time? He didn't want to speak but also couldn't lie. "You've done your best, Bardock."  
  
"Yeah," he sighed, "and it wasn't good enough."  
  
Bardock was a tall man whose body was in perfect shape from daily training sessions. His dark, often unruly hair was kept back from his eyes by a green headband and a cross-shaped scar marred his right cheek. He was quiet the majority of the time, not bothering to voice his thoughts to Vegeta or anyone else -- not that any Saiya-jin really expressed himself verbally. The prince had become used to long periods of silence between them over the years so they didn't bother him that much anymore.  
  
It was soon time for dinner. One of Vegeta's unofficial jobs on the ship was to let Bardock know when it was time for a meal; otherwise, he would just let himself starve to death. His mind was often so preoccupied that the growling of his empty stomach went unnoticed.  
  
"What do we do now?" Vegeta asked, eager for more information about their journey. For seventeen years he'd been kept practically in the dark about why they were on the ship in the first place. The search for Kakarotto was one reason, but there was another. Bardock would never say anything to him, only stating that he would tell him "someday". When was "someday" going to come? "We've escaped Furiza's tyranny. Are we just going to roam through space for the rest of our lives?"  
  
Bardock didn't look at him as they headed down the hallway to the mess hall but at least he answered his question. "We're going to find the other groups that fled Planet Vegeta."  
  
"If they still exist."  
  
A severe look wiped the slight smirk from Vegeta's face. It wasn't one of his infamous deadly gazes but it was close enough. "They're *your* subjects, Vegeta. I just gave them a friendly warning."  
  
He snorted. "Friendly, my ass. Saiya-jin don't know the meaning of the word friendship. I still don't know why you bothered to warn everyone in the first place but I guess I thank you anyway."  
  
Vegeta remembered the large hall where the third and second class soldiers ate when they were on planet. It had been ugly and plain with rough-hewn tables and chairs laid out in a grid-like pattern. The one they had on the ship wasn't as hard on the eyes, but it wouldn't win any awards, either. It was... functional.  
  
Saiya-jin, typically, would eat any animal that stood still long enough for them to catch it. If it did decide to run, they tended to chase after it until either they became tired or it wasn't breathing any longer. After killing their prey, they'd roast it over a fire if they were patient enough. But if hunger became too great, they wouldn't hesitate to eat it raw and bloody. The visiting dignitaries that Furiza often brought to the royal palace tended to be disgusted with their table manners as well as their appearance. They just were not civilized enough for them. In Vegeta's opinion, "civilized behavior" was defined by whether a group of people had a spoken and written language, could usually live and work together without murdering each other, and were capable of technology as well as rational thinking. Those dignitaries had just been snooty.  
  
"What's on the menu for today?" Bardock asked the nearest Saiya-jin who had kitchen duty for the week. He was slightly older than Vegeta with short-cut hair and a long, pointed nose. Beibak despised the prince and everyone knew it. It was okay, though; Vegeta hated him as well.  
  
"Chili," he answered and made a face. "Again."  
  
The ones in charge of cooking changed every week. Some made fairly good food while others made stuff that couldn't be identified by even their best scientists. They begged Vegeta to talk Bardock into allowing the bad cooks to do something else for their turn, but, so far, he hadn't altered the schedule one bit. Bardock and Vegeta had their turn together and usually did a decent job. There was one incident when the older Saiya-jin had wanted to try a recipe he had found on their bi-weekly trip for supplies that resulted in a fire that had taken nearly forever to put out. From then on, the prince made him promise not to ever cook anything again without describing the steps in detail to him first.  
  
"Tounas! What the hell are you doing in here?" Bardock violently pushed open the door to the kitchen and Vegeta caught it before it knocked a server unconscious. "How many times are you going to make us eat your poisonous chili?"  
  
Tounas, a three-hundred pound man covered in scars and wearing a white apron, pointed his spoon at Bardock. "It's the only thing I can make halfway decent. If you want somethin' different, do it yourself!"  
  
Vegeta stepped aside and waited. It wasn't long. Bardock grabbed the man by the front of his apron and lifted him into the air.  
  
"I guess I didn't make myself clear enough," he growled. "If you make chili one more time I'm going to tear off your fingers one-by-one and feed them to you. Do you understand now?"  
  
He nodded, sweat breaking out onto his face. Bardock allowed him to drop to his feet and marched out of the kitchen with a quick motion for the prince to follow. The dead silence that had overtaken the Saiya-jin was eliminated almost as soon as the shouting had stopped.  
  
"Don't you think that was a little bit unnecessary?" Vegeta asked him, already aware of the answer.  
  
He snorted. "Unnecessary, hell! I am so goddamn tired of eating that crap I could kill someone!" He looked around the room as if searching for a suitable victim. The mess hall emptied quickly of its occupants, all eager to get out of Bardock's sight lest they be chosen. Vegeta knew the chances of dying by his hand were slim-to-nil so threats like that didn't worry him at all.  
  
He wandered over and got a bowl of Tounas' steaming chili. Despite its every day occurrence, the dish wasn't bad. Shooting Bardock a look, Vegeta pointed at the serving line. "You need to eat."  
  
"I'm not touching that shit!"  
  
"If you don't eat then you'll lose strength. You don't want me to kick your ass when we spar later, do you?" he knew exactly the right words to get him to eat something. Bardock was the only family he had. Sentimental or not, he didn't want anything to happen to him.  
  
He grinned and allowed a member of the kitchen staff to dish him up a bowl. "You always kick my ass and I know what you're doing."  
  
"Yeah? Well, you know you won't eat unless someone watches you do it." They sat down at the nearest table and dug into their meal at the typical Saiya-jin speed of super fast. It took four large bowls each to fill them and then they were on their way to the training room.  
  
Vegeta considered fighting one of the greatest things in the universe. There was an art to defeating and/or completely slaughtering your opponent and it was a mental challenge to find an acceptable strategy. Truly excellent fighters were as graceful as they were deadly, as polished as they were skilled. It was the ultimate dance.  
  
He took a traditional defensive stance and faced off Bardock with a blank expression of concentration. He could easily lose himself in the motion and energy of a battle, going to what others termed "his own private little universe". Combat was what he was made for.  
  
Bardock, in comparison, thought of fighting as only "a necessary survival tactic". Although he enjoyed the planning and the killing, he could really do without the actual battle. Vegeta's focus overwhelmed him just a little. How could he beat someone so driven and passionate about his art when he consider it only a chore?  
  
Fists raised, Vegeta leapt at his opponent with a single-minded intent to render him defenseless. His speed was amazing as he tested Bardock's defenses again and again. He would observe, first, and then he would strike.  
  
Preoccupying him with high punches, he kicked low and with great force. Bardock noticed the almost undetectable shift in his movements and hopped into the air just as his foot was nearing his kneecap. Using Vegeta's outstretched leg for leverage, he vaulted high over his head to land behind. The prince spun before he could gain an advantage and phased from view.  
  
"SHIT!" Bardock cursed with feeling. Vegeta knew how much he hated when he did that. He was already too fast for him and nearly too strong. If he accelerated to a speed where he couldn't see him anymore, then there was really no point in continuing the battle, in Bardock's opinion.  
  
He looked around as quickly as he could, trying to find something that would pinpoint Vegeta's location in the room. He froze when he felt the tap on his shoulder and glared at Vegeta's smirking face as he vanished again.  
  
"BOY, IF YOU DON'T SHOW YOURSELF *RIGHT* NOW I'LL-" he yelled. His voice floated to him from above.  
  
"You'll do what when you can't even find me? Scream at me until you pass out?"  
  
Bardock roared in both anger and annoyance. He looked upward towards the ceiling and found nothing but air. "That's it! Vegeta, when I find you I'm going to kick your ass!" He immediately noticed when Vegeta's speed slowed and he threw himself in his direction just as a great vibration shook the entire room. Bardock froze in mid-air as did Vegeta and they both stared at the floor.  
  
"That definitely wasn't good," Vegeta muttered. He saw a flash of light through the thick glass of the viewing window and ran over to it. Another one of the glowing beams of light flew through space and they felt it impact with the hull of the ship. "Someone's attacking us!"  
  
The two of them headed off to the command center as fast as they could. Unofficially, Bardock was the commander of the ship even though Vegeta, technically, was ruler of them all due to his royal blood. In the event that an enemy decided to take them down, he was the one who faced the daunting task of issuing orders that decided whether or not they lived or died. Vegeta was glad he wasn't in his shoes.  
  
He could have been had certain events not occurred a long time ago. If Furiza hadn't blown up his planet, taken his father, and scattered his people to the four winds. Vegeta would never truly be king because he hadn't earned it by fighting his father to the death. "Prince" was a title you were born into, "king" was one that you killed for.  
  
Panicked Saiya-jin were everywhere, with some of the calmer ones at the ship's controls. Beibak sat at the radar screen, a grim look on his face. "A ship is trying to prove dominance by blowing us to pieces."  
  
Bardock glared at him. "Really? I wouldn't have ever figured that out unless you had told me first." The heavy sarcasm in his voice made Vegeta smirk.  
  
His face grew crimson. "The other ship is approximately six-hundred sixty feet away from us and closing in fast."  
  
"Identification?"  
  
Nanka, an older man who had the job of communications officer, pointed to the image screen with a shaking finger. The visuals that were coming from the external cameras clearly displayed the enemy ship. "I know this ship, sir. We will not survive this encounter."  
  
On Planet Vegeta, Nanka had also been in charge of communications. On the fateful day Furiza attacked, he had been on duty. The very same ship that had settled within their atmosphere was on the monitor now. Well, he'd survived years longer than he had expected to and he was grateful for it.  
  
"Who's attacking us?" Bardock asked as he looked at him with just a touch of worry.  
  
"Furiza."  
  
"Fuck!" he cursed, something that many of the other crew members were doing either mentally or verbally. He began to pace back-and-forth, trying to come up with a solution to their current problem. "Can we outrun him?"  
  
Another Saiya-jin, Outou, had pulled up a data sheet describing the attributes of Furiza's ship as it had been seventeen years ago. It had been hastily taken from a command office as the ship hovered in space and was now proving to be a priceless source of information and not just a whimsically stolen good. "We cannot, sir. Our weapons are also outclassed."  
  
"We are not going to sit here and allow him to kill us," Vegeta said as he stalked toward Nanka. The man abandoned his post without a word and allowed the prince to take over. "This is Prince Vegeta. I demand to speak with your lord at once."  
  
The reply was curt. "A person in your position can't order his enemy around. Either you surrender, or you die."  
  
"I don't like ultimatums." His voice was cold as ice.  
  
"You also don't like living, then." The voice was then abruptly cut off by a wet gurgle and a new, cultured voice took its place.  
  
"I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for his rude behavior. It will never happen again, I assure you."  
  
"Who the hell are *you*?" Bardock asked. He was ignored.  
  
"We will first disable your ship and then we will board it. If you do not cause much of a fuss, I can guarantee that you will not be harmed. To do otherwise would be foolish. Are you all foolish... men, Prince Vegeta?"  
  
Vegeta's dislike of the voice turned into hatred when he finally recognized who it belonged to. "Furiza," he hissed, eyes glittering with rage.  
  
A collective gasp went up from the men in the room and Bardock's face grew stormy. He shut off the transmission and turned to the assembled group. There were thirty Saiya-jin on board the ship and all of them were capable of fighting. "We will go quietly, now, and then find a way to kill him once on the ship. I am not going to initiate the self destruct sequence when we still have a chance."  
  
"A small chance, Bardock. A chance so minute that you would need a microscope to find it." Vegeta sighed. "But we really don't have any other choice."  
  
He contacted Furiza's ship once more and told him of their surrender. "Why do you want us? We haven't done anything to you."  
  
The small Changeling laughed, the sound sending slight chills up many Saiya-jin's spines. "Perhaps I would like to form a partnership with you."  
  
"I doubt potential business partners are held against their will," he said dryly. Furiza laughed again.  
  
"Maybe not, then. Dock within ten minutes or I will send my aides over to retrieve you."


	2. Chapter 2

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 2**

 

"Zaabon, sir, something's coming up on radar."  
  
The purple-skinned alien had pointed out the small blip on the screen to his superior and then attempted to figure out what, or who, it was. Zaabon, a man with dark green hair pulled back into a single braid and light blue skin, had been overseeing the workers for most of the day and it was intensely boring work.  
  
"Is it another asteroid, Kuyi?" he asked in a bored tone. Furiza had ordered the man to point out every single thing he found on the radar screen to a superior officer. Unfortunately, that person turned out to be Zaabon that day. He'd been there for five hours and every single blip so far had turned out only to be space junk.  
  
"It's a ship, sir. Class D and Saiya-jin in origin."  
  
Zaabon perked up at those words. "Saiya-jin in origin, eh? I thought we had them all. Fire at the ship to get their attention and then incapacitate them."  
  
"Right away, sir!"  
  
The bright flashes that were the powerful missiles impacted with the hull of the Saiya-jin ship three times before someone contacted them.  
  
"This is Prince Vegeta. I demand to speak with your lord at once." Zaabon could hear the irritation in his voice and was slightly surprised. Usually people only cowered before them; it was an interesting change from the usual.  
  
Kuyi smiled, his white teeth stark against his dark colored flesh. "A person in your position can't order his enemy around. Either you surrender or you die."  
  
Zaabon turned and bumped directly into Furiza. "My lord," he bowed low. "The Saiya-jin we found are attempting to negotiate with us."  
  
His face brightened and a delighted laugh emerged from within. "Saiya-jin! I haven't had any with spirit to torture in months!"  
  
"You also don't like living, then." Kuyi said into the small microphone with a smirk. He never saw the disapproving figure behind him until it was too late.  
  
Furiza's small, but very powerful, hand curled itself around the purple alien's throat and began to squeeze. Kuyi began to gurgle, struggling to draw breath past the hand that was slowly crushing his windpipe. Suddenly, the smaller alien released him with a toss to the floor.  
  
"Consider that a warning," he said pleasantly before seating himself at the console and pressing a button with one black pointed nail. "I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for his rude behavior. It will never happen again, I assure you."  
  
Shaking his head in amazement, Zaabon exited the room. "I will always question his sanity."  
  


***

  
' _We've escaped captivity for seventeen damn years and look where we are now!_ ' Vegeta grumbled to himself. ' _I doubt he will kill me outright because I'm prince of the Saiya-jin. I've heard about what he does to captives and I'll commit suicide before I let him put his disgusting hands on me._ '  
  
"Are you okay, boy?" Bardock ask in a voice that was only slightly audible.  
  
Vegeta nodded. "For now. Furiza's gonna do some painful things to us, though."  
  
The hangar was huge and it seemed even more so because only the Saiya-jin ship was docked there. Workers of all shapes and sizes passed by the group, but no eyes focused on them.  
  
Two large doors that sat against one wall opened with a slight hiss of escaping air from the locks. Zaabon stepped through, looking as calm as ever, and made his way over to the assembled Saiya-jin.  
  
"I am Zaabon. Lord Furiza gave me strict instructions to escort you to your chamber."  
  
"Don't you mean 'prison cell'?" Bardock began to walk forward, rage clearly displayed on his face. "We didn't do a damn thing to you people! Why the hell can't you just leave us alone?"  
  
Zaabon knew the reason Furiza wanted to imprison and break all of the Saiya-jin. No one else besides his lord even had a clue.  
  
Furiza, master of pain and of evil itself, was completely terrified of Super Saiya-jin.  
  
It was a legend that had begun millennia ago on the once-existing planet of Vegeta. One Saiya-jin was born with the innate ability to transform into a golden being with superior speed and strength that had the capability to butcher billions with little effort and destroy entire solar systems with the barest of thoughts.  
  
He had heard the whispers in King Vegeta's palace and knew most of the Saiya-jin figured that his son would be the next Golden Warrior. Furiza, at first, wanted to torture and then kill the prince as well as his people, but Dodoria convinced him otherwise.  
  
"Wouldn't it be better to have the prince on our side if he was the Legendary Super Saiya-jin? Nothing could stop us then."  
  
"Disgusting pink blob," Zaabon muttered to himself with loathing. He despised his fellow aide with all of his being and barely tolerated him when they were in the same room together.  
  
Vegeta heard his words and one eyebrow rose. "I doubt Dodoria would appreciate your description. It isn't very flattering."  
  
He chuckled slightly and then caught himself before they were too far down the dim hallway.  
  
The room was fifteen feet by fifteen feet square and all the Saiya-jin barely fit into it. The plain gray walls and concrete floor had been covered by some sort of fabric but no matter what they did to the room it would always be a cell.  
  
"What's going to happen to us?" Vegeta asked. By unspoken agreement he was now the leader of their small group. Bardock thought that it was about time for him to take responsibility for his people. They needed someone that was of royal blood to show that they all had a chance to survive as long as Vegeta remained strong.  
  
Zaabon shrugged and lied through his teeth. "I have no clue."  
  
He left them alone, bolting the door behind him. Vegeta began to pace a small area of the floor that the other Saiya-jin didn't occupy and tried to come up with a plan.  
  
"We're now prisoners on Furiza's ship. What can we do about this?"  
  
"There's nothing we *can* do," Nanka sighed. "We're not the strongest on this ship, I doubt we can escape."  
  
Vegeta stopped and glared at him. "He won't kill us off without a fight! I promise you that."  
  
Bardock was completely disgusted with the older man. "Listen to yourself, Nanka. You belong to one of the most proud races in the universe. Don't disgrace the rest of us by acting like a coward."  
  
Vegeta forced himself to take a seat on the hard floor and searched his mind for a solution to their problem. He couldn't allow himself to think about what would happen if they *couldn't* escape, too many lives were counting on him. He didn't take notice of how easily the role of leader came to him or how much the other Saiya-jin trusted in his decision. The door opened again and Zaabon motioned for the prince to follow him after catching his attention.  
  
"If you don't want Furiza to kill you, agree to anything he tells you to do without question," Zaabon advised. He shook his head at the disdain on Vegeta's face. He had a feeling that his words had gone through one ear and immediately out the other but it hadn't hurt to try.  
  
The halls, Vegeta noted, were laid out in a pattern. The wider ones always led to important rooms and the narrower ones led to the tiny cabins for the crew. On the journey to what probably was Furiza's audience chamber, every single being they passed stiffly saluted their superior officer with almost fear in their eyes.  
  
' _Zaabon isn't *that* intimidating,_ ' Vegeta thought to himself. ' _They shouldn't be so damn afraid of him._ '  
  
"It's not me, personally, it's what I represent."  
  
At first, he thought that he had imagined those words. Maybe they were created by his mind. Then it hit him -- he had no imagination whatsoever.  
  
An unfamiliar feeling of panic welled up inside of him as he struggled to erect whatever barrier he could to keep Zaabon out of his mind. The taller man stopped a few paces ahead of the prince and glanced back.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely and then he continued onward.  
  
"That's all you have to say?!" Vegeta shouted at him. "You invade my mind and all you have to say is 'I'm sorry'?"  
  
Zaabon stopped again. "I'm *very* sorry." He smiled to himself, knowing that Vegeta couldn't see his face. For some odd reason it felt good to piss the prince off.  
  
Vegeta glared daggers at his back and stomped past him, his mood gone from bad to worse. "You should be begging me for forgiveness."  
  
"Furiza is my master." His voice and facial expression conveyed exactly how he felt about that.  
  
"You could escape this place."  
  
Zaabon snorted. "And where would I go? I have no home to return to, Furiza has seen to that. I am in the same position you are; we're both enslaved to his cause."  
  


***

  
Furiza sat in his hover vehicle, idly swirling deep red wine around in a crystal glass. He loved to watch the liquid more than he liked to drink it, marveling at how much the color reminded him of freshly-spilt blood. The Master of Pain and Suffering wasn't physically imposing, but his voice, mannerisms, and power more than made up for that. He was small in his first form with pink skin, black horns, and a long tail. Hard white bone covered his head, forearms, and the tip of his tail and helped to shield him from deadly blows.  
  
How would he learn the truth about the Super Saiya-jin from the prince? He had a strong suspicion that the royal family had been guarding the secret for millennia. Torture was a method that probably wouldn't work. The elder Vegeta, when exposed to it, had only become even more silent on the subject.  
  
' _How do I get the brat to talk? I need to know the truth!_ '  
  
A sharp knock interrupted his musings and with barely a glance at Dodoria, the fat pink alien went to answer the door.  
  
"What do *you* want?" he asked with a sneer on his face. Zaabon represented everything he was not and he despised him for it. Furiza favored the other man, giving him special privileges, gifts, and praise. He wished harm upon Zaabon in the very worst way.  
  
"Lord Furiza sent me to retrieve Prince Vegeta, Dodoria, and it's not really any of your business."  
  
Any other words they would have exchanged were silenced by Furiza's low voice.  
  
"Send him in to me."  
  
Vegeta tensed up at that voice and forgot about being fascinated by the expensive decoration of the room he had entered. It made the rest of the ship look inadequate in comparison. Zaabon paled slightly as he thought of the ways Furiza interrogated his prisoners. He had been a servant for several years and the screams hadn't yet ceased to torment him in his slumber.  
  
He glanced at Dodoria briefly, the gleeful look on his face making his stomach turn, and indicated that he wanted to Vegeta to come over to the opposite side of the room. "Tell him whatever he wants to know."  
  
"What makes you think I know anything?" Vegeta asked. He refused to allow Zaabon's behavior and facial expression frighten him.  
  
"He wouldn't want a private audience if you didn't."  
  
Vegeta stared at the door that Furiza was behind. If what he said was true, then the Changeling would do anything to find out what he wanted. The implications of "anything" made him uneasy. He had known Saiya-jin that would do anything. A few of his father's aides had been scum of the worst kind. The agonized screams and wails of the assaulted were loud and clear for anyone who passed their personal quarters and his father, fully aware of everything that went on inside his palace, didn't do anything about it. The expressions on the faces of the children were what stayed with him all of those years. They were molested and never understood why.  
  
"What will he do to me?" he asked quietly.  
  
Zaabon looked down at the floor, debating on whether or not to answer the question. In all honesty he really had no idea what Furiza did behind closed doors but knew that it was bad. *Very* bad.  
  
The prince held his head high and calmly went to confront Furiza. No matter what happened he would always have his identity. No one, not even Furiza, would ever be able to take that away.  
  


***

  
Though he would never admit it aloud, Bardock was worried. Vegeta had been gone for quite a while and no one had seen hide nor hair of him since Zaabon led him away. He turned to Nanka, a man who had a strange amount of knowledge about Furiza, in desperation.  
  
"What would he do to a prisoner?"  
  
"Everything," was the reply.  
  
That single word covered a broad range and made him all the more worried. He could be skinning him alive for all that he knew! What did Furiza want with the prince in the first place? The boy didn't know all that much about life other than that on the ship. He had been only six when they had been forced to flee.  
  
The door that had remained closed for what felt like years finally opened and in walked Vegeta. The others were torn between staring at the troubled expression on his face and looking away in discomfort. The latter option was chosen and only Bardock's eyes remained on him.  
  
A small area in the corner was cleared of bodies and the older Saiya-jin quietly asked, "What did he want?"  
  
The shock was wearing off and Vegeta struggled to hold onto it. The numbness was comforting and it stopped him from feeling the pain that was sure to follow. His legs wouldn't hold him anymore as the intense waves of pain assaulted his senses. The vacant, unseeing look in his dark eyes chilled Bardock to the bone and he grabbed the young man by his upper arms and shook him.  
  
"Snap out of it! What did he want with you, Vegeta?"  
  
The voice was distant in the dark place his mind had retreated into when Furiza tried to get him to talk. He hadn't been prepared for the pain, though he imagined that nothing could have prepared him for the searing fire that had ripped an involuntary scream from his throat. All of the beatings his father had given him and all of the injuries he had sustained while sparring with Bardock combined held nothing to the pain he had felt earlier that day. And through it all, despite nearly going insane, he hadn't said anything that Furiza wanted to hear.  
  
"Tomorrow is another day," Furiza had whispered in his ear as he lay broken and bleeding on the floor, "and we will see how much you can take."  
  
"VEGETA!" The raw panic in Bardock's voice brought him slowly from the darkness and into the light.  
  
Slowly the life flowed back into his eyes and he began to blink rapidly. "What was the question again?"  
  
"He hurt you." A simple statement.  
  
"A lot of people have hurt me." He sighed, hating the fact that there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Furiza wants to know the truth about Super Saiya-jin."  
  
Bardock was surprised. "Is that all? Just tell him!"  
  
"I don't know anything that he doesn't already know, but no one can tell the bastard any different!"  
  
He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Does he know that you're supposed to be the next Super Saiya-jin?"  
  
"He will *never* find out, Bardock. I will die before I tell him." The hatred in his voice for the Changeling was vehement. Vegeta shifted positions so that he was lying on his side and even that small movement sent jolts of pain throughout his lower body. Bardock noticed when he tensed up slightly and the solution to the puzzle was beginning to form inside of his mind. He didn't know how to ask but he needed to be sure.  
  
"Did he... you know?" he asked very quietly in Vegeta's ear. He knew that no other Saiya-jin would overhear him despite their very good sense of hearing.  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes and sighed. "You can say the word, Bardock. We're both grown-ups here."  
  
"Did he rape you?" The last two words were said almost without sound, but the prince still understood.  
  
"No Bardock," he answered and before the other man could look relieved he continued. "I'm just in an ungodly amount of pain for no reason."  
  
He frowned. "You're being sarcastic."  
  
"Just go away and let me sleep. I have to rebuild my defenses for tomorrow's round of pain."  
  
Bardock fell silent and looked over at the Saiya-jin who were still averting their gazes. "The prince needs to rest so shut up or I'll shut you up. Permanently."  
  
A deep silence settled in the room and slowly Vegeta slipped into sleep. He hoped that tomorrow the pain would be nearly non-existent.  
  
And he prayed that there would be no dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 3**

 

Zaabon laid in bed that night, afraid that the sounds he had heard from Furiza's inner sanctum would haunt him in his slumber. He had told the prince not to withhold information from the Changeling, but his warning wasn't taken as seriously as it should have been. Even if Vegeta really had no idea what Furiza spoke of, he should have lied just to spare himself the torment.  
  
There had been no pleading, sobbing, or screaming from the victim, but he knew what had occurred simply by Furiza's satisfied grunts and moans. At first there had been shouting and profanity from Vegeta, but all had gone silent fairly early on. Zaabon figured that Furiza had placed his hand over the prince's mouth. While he did everything short of leaving the room to escape the sounds of abuse, Dodoria had his flabby pink face nearly pressed against the door. The sight made him intensely angry for reasons he couldn't understand but before he could pull him away the noise abruptly stopped.  
  
Five minutes later Vegeta emerged from the room, his head still held high, and demanded that Zaabon take him back to his prison cell. He had done so without a word.  
  
' _I'm sick and tired of dealing with Furiza every single day!_ '  
  
His childhood home had been by the sea, so close that the sound of the waves was his lullaby and the salt smell of the cool water seemed to permeate everything within seconds. In addition to the small four room home, there had been a small stand of woods where wild berries grew in the shadows of the trees. He had spent many long summer days playing there with the other children, though their number had been few. It had been Cezu who spotted the ship hovering in their atmosphere and the terrified look on his face would always remain etched into Zaabon's memory. His best-friend had been born with a very rare innate ability and could sense the maliciousness coming from the occupants of that distant ship. After mumbling a few words, he had run home to find his parents and join them in prayer for the safety of their people.  
  
Zaabon had sat on the large boulder by the beach for hours, waiting. Fear had been making its presence known for quite some time, but curiosity was doing battle and winning. He'd wanted to know who sat aboard the large ship in the sky and almost wished that they would let him come along. Though it had been peaceful and pleasant on his home planet of Taiyou-sei, sometimes the predictability of his people had been almost too much to stand. It was as if the Great Mother had taken one Beibou-jin and cloned him many times. Zaabon craved unpredictability and nonconformity; he was fascinated by the tiny things about people that helped to define who they were.  
  
His mother, for instance, almost always wore her hair loose and about her shoulders when most other women kept theirs neatly bound. He felt that it symbolized how carefree and free-spirited she was when they played together in the ocean. His father walked slowly, his eyes to the world around him, as if he were afraid that he would miss something very important by looking away.  
  
On that day, his father's steps had been hurried as he bodily carried him into the house. Zaabon had protested and pleaded, but, after joining the dinner table where his mother already sat, he gave it up as a lost cause.  
  
Celesia twisted her linen napkin in her small hands, silently praying that the crew who manned the ship outside were of a good sort. Her deep green hair was pulled backwards into a tight bun so neat that not even a single strand of hair hung free. A coldness settled over her son as he realized that the ship might mean something more than just entertainment.  
  
Nothing else had happened that night but the next morning, when Zaabon had awakened for the day, he immediately noticed that the ship was gone.  
  
Zaabon shook his head at the memory. ' _I hadn't even imagined how bad life could get in just a few short hours. Before I could even find an exciting adventure to go on, a sinful life of murder, robbery, and destruction found me first._ '  
  
The first time he laid eyes on Furiza he'd wondered just why everyone was terrified of him. He didn't look like much, just a short creature with pink skin and a long tail. Although physically he wasn't very imposing, Zaabon knew that there was a very good reason why the Changeling commanded thousands of beings. That very same day of his first meeting with the Master of Pain, a low-ranked soldier had been brought forward for execution.  
  
His crime had been petty to even Zaabon's young ears. Upon returning from his latest mission, the man hadn't brought back enough loot and was being accused of keeping a small portion of it for himself. Furiza was a greedy lord and more than a little miffed over six gold coins.  
  
The trial was quick and ridiculous. The accused wasn't even given a moment to defend himself and the only witnesses allowed to testify were two of the Changeling's aides. If you were just going to make a mockery of the justice system why even have a trial in the first place? Zaabon didn't understand it and figured that he probably never would.  
  
The poor soldier's punishment was cruel and unusual: he was to be flayed alive. Furiza had taken the knife from a smirking aide and gently placed it against the damp skin of the man's arm, tormenting him with what was yet to come.  
  
He then cut his uniform from his body and settled down to work with a delighted grin on his face. Layer after layer of skin was successfully cut from the soldier's body until the floor ran red with blood and the man had fallen unconscious from the pain. The Changeling took a break, unwilling to continue while his victim wasn't awake to feel it. The screams pleased him so.  
  
Zaabon had stood in one corner of the room watching it all with an outwardly neutral expression. Watching the suffering of another living being was almost too much to bear, but he could not allow Furiza to find out lest he be on the wrong end of the knife. So he watched silently, sometimes with false encouragement, and hoped that one day he would, at last, have a chance at freedom.  
  
"Mother, Father," he whispered to the spirits of his parents, his mind returning to the present, "I think that moment has finally arrived."  
  


***

  
Bardock heard a sound that reminded him of the ones small animals made when afraid. Just on the verge of his return to sleep, he heard it again. Something called to him and urged him to return to full wakefulness and he did so with annoyance. ' _What the Hell is going on?_ ' he asked himself as he sat up. He followed the tiny squeaks to the source and was startled to discover that it was the prince. The young man tossed and turned, caught in the throes of a nightmare, and the older man had no idea what to do for him, but he decided to try his best.  
  
He grabbed Vegeta's shoulder and shook him hard. "Wake up, boy."  
  
The other Saiya-jin were beginning to wake, their internal clocks signaling that it was now sunrise. A few that were closest to the prince heard his cries and wondered what could make any Saiya-jin sound that way. Then they remembered whose ship they were on and suddenly understood. Furiza could make even the bravest warrior whimper for his mother.  
  
Their prince, the Saiya-jin felt, was braver than most. He didn't come into their prison cell the night before sobbing with fear, but instead had his head held high, not daring to shame his race. How many of them could endure Furiza's torture and emerge with their sanity still intact? Not many, that was for sure.  
  
Bardock shook Vegeta once more, cringing every time the cry passed through his lips. The older man wouldn't allow the prince to confront Furiza this day, he would go in his stead. He seriously doubted that any pain Furiza administered could compare with the agony of having someone place a hundred-pound weight on your tail.  
  
Vegeta woke up slowly, the memory of his torture causing his body to ache. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was. Did Furiza leave him lying on the floor of his audience chamber? He could be coming back at any moment to take his sadistic pleasure from him again. Panic welled up inside of him, so great that felt he would burst. ' _I will not scream. I will not scream._ ' This was repeated over and over, his mantra to whatever higher power was listening at the moment. If he allowed himself to scream, then there was little hope that he could ever stop again. The urge eventually passed and he opened his eyes.  
  
He recognized the room and the expressions that covered twenty-nine Saiya-jin faces. No, it wasn't shock. It was understanding.  
  
"My prince," said one man who had been a mechanic on the ship. Without him, they would have been stranded years ago. "We will all stand behind you in whatever decision you make. If our proud race ends here, then it will be because our best efforts to escape just weren't good enough. None of us will let Furiza's menace kill our warrior spirit."  
  
Before him sat a group of warriors who would follow him into Hell just because he ordered them to. However, he felt he was unworthy of royal status and therefore unworthy of their loyalty. It was his job to devise a plan for escape, not to sit around and cringe with each remembered burst of pain. How could they put all of their faith into someone so young and so inexperienced?  
  
"Bardock," he said, his voice hoarse. "I ask a favor of you."  
  
"Yes, my prince?"  
  
He looked the older man directly into his eyes, successfully conveying his thoughts. The color drained from Bardock's face as he realized the implications of his words. "You are much more experienced than I," Vegeta said. "For that reason, I make you the new leader of the Saiya-jin."  
  
Bardock heard him but refused to believe. "What did you just say?!"  
  
"You heard me." He turned away and rested his cheek against the wall. "You are the new heir to the throne."  
  
"I refuse. The throne doesn't belong to me. You are the rightful heir." He searched for the right words to say, speaking was never his strong suit. "Ruling is in your blood just as it was in your father's. All seems dark and hopeless right now but, someday, we will be free. When that day comes you will have to be here to lead us."  
  
"I'll try to be worthy of your faith," was all that he said.  
  
Ten minutes later, after the soldiers on the ship had finished consuming what passed for breakfast in the mess hall, Zaabon appeared at the door. "Prince Vegeta, you have been summoned. The servants will feed your subjects, but you are to dine with Lord Furiza."  
  
"So bet it, then," he said with a carefully neutral expression. "After our meal, will you give me a tour of the ship? It should prove to be a very educating experience." He had little hope for his request to be granted, why would a personal servant of Furiza show the enemy around? He was surprised, however, when Zaabon agreed to do it.  
  
' _I will show you the others and then I will help. No one deserves to be caged like animals._ ' Aloud, he said, "Let's go, Prince Vegeta."  
  
As they walked, Vegeta felt as if this trip would be his last. Every step he took seemed to be bringing him closer and closer to death. He knew that it was just his mind creating imaginary dread based on the what happened the day before. Furiza couldn't kill him for the information he had would die with him as well. The Changeling did not become the most feared ruler in the Universe by being a fool.  
  
Zaabon left him at the door to Furiza's chamber and walked away without a backward glance. His lord was changing tactics, attempting to gain Vegeta's trust by being kind and understanding so that he could extract information from him. It had had a better chance of working *before* the sexual assault, but no one could tell him anything.  
  
A very strong sense of *something* welled up inside of Vegeta. He wouldn't call it fear, not yet. Saiya-jin didn't fear anyone or anything. Sights and sounds that would make people of other races wet themselves served only as amusement to his warrior race. Yet, Furiza intimidated his people and somehow it was okay for him to be afraid. No one in the Universe was strong enough to defeat the Changeling, so his tyranny would continue with no end in sight.  
  
' _I would give nearly anything to be free again,_ ' Vegeta thought to himself. ' _We should all be back on Planet Vegeta doing what Saiya-jin did before the treaty with Furiza. My father was a fool to sign that paper. A few Saiya-jin have escaped, sure, but at what cost? The babies were sent to planets I've never heard of and all the records were destroyed years ago. Still, there has to be a way for our race to survive. There just has to be._ '  
  
Dwelling on the past wasn't helping anyone, he had to continue forward. For both his sake and for the sake of his people. He was their leader, the one they depended on to get them out of this predicament. All thoughts should be focused on a plan, first, and then on a way to implement whatever he came up with. There was no time to waste worrying about what Furiza could do to him.  
  
In front of the Changeling was a small wooden table, just four feet square, and two place settings were set upon it. Next to the table was a serving cart that held several covered bowls. It seemed Zaabon was serious when he said that Furiza wished to dine with him. Hesitant, he took the seat across from the lord and folded his hands in his lap.  
  
"We have much to discuss, Prince Vegeta," Furiza said in a silky smooth voice as he lifted the cover from a dish. "Please, help yourself."  
  
Vegeta wasn't a fool, in fact he was far from it. Something was going on and he wasn't going to enter the game without caution. "It would be rude of me to serve myself before serving you." He got up and busied himself with dishing food upon the Changeling's plate. The food would be safe to eat if Furiza tasted it first. His stomach was growling but, unlike some Saiya-jin, he wasn't going to allow it to control him. Once Furiza's plate was full, he served himself and the two of them watched each other over their plates. "On Planet Vegeta, the host always takes the first bite of any meal."  
  
"Oh really?" he asked with false interest. "I could have sworn that it was the other way around."  
  
"Aren't you the most important person on this ship?" Vegeta asked.  
  
Furiza rolled his eyes and lifted his fork. "Really, Vegeta. All you had to do was ask if I poisoned the food."  
  
"And all you had to do was lie to me. It wouldn't have been that hard for you." The urge to cram food inside of his mouth as fast as he could was great, but his willpower was even greater. All those hours spent learning the proper way to eat from his father weren't going to be wasted. While his hands were busy at his plate, he used his tail to grab the carafe of red wine that sat upon the topmost shelf of the cart. He spoke to his host as he poured. "May I ask why you wanted me here today? I doubt you want to be friends."  
  
Furiza's face took on a regretful look that appeared almost to be sincere. "I went about the wrong way to get information from you."  
  
"Oh really?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. He would play the game, and play it well. There was no time for personal feelings. "You seemed to enjoy it ever so much."  
  
"How could you say such a thing, Prince Vegeta?" Mentally, the prince rolled his eyes at the performance. Maybe Furiza should have been an actor and not a tyrant. ' _Only a monster would enjoy taking someone against their will._ ' The words were on the tip of his tongue and the Changeling seemed to expect them. It would be so easy for Vegeta to tell him just exactly what he thought about the entire affair, but it would be just as easy for Furiza to knock him into next week. So he remained silent and that surprised them both.  
  
Furiza's eyes narrowed. "Surely you have more to say about this?"  
  
"What would you like for me to say? You should know where I stand on this entire thing, but if you wish to question me again, go ahead." He served himself another helping and settled back into his chair for a potentially long conversation.  
  
He leaned back in his own chair and regarded the Saiya-jin sitting across from him. "It would be a waste of my very valuable time to question you again, so I'll just bring out my trump card."  
  
Pushing the chair backward, the little Changeling stood and walked over the door. Vegeta turned his head to watch, making sure that he kept the other man in his sight at all times. Furiza opened the door to the outer chamber and stepped away from the doorway. "I'm only going to say this once so listen up," he said as he yanked someone inside the room. Vegeta swallowed hard when he recognized the other Saiya-jin as Bardock. "Either you tell me what I want to know or I'll make sure this guy here dies in the very worst way." He smiled unpleasantly. "And you will be forced to watch every single second."  
  
' _I don't have a choice,_ ' he thought to himself as he tried to figure out a way to free Bardock and tell Furiza nothing. There wasn't any other way, there just wasn't. The older Saiya-jin looked at the prince, willing to die to protect the most sacred secret of the Saiya-jin race, but Vegeta couldn't sacrifice him that way. ' _I'm going soft, Father would be ashamed of me._ ' Then he snorted. ' _Screw, Father. Bardock is more important to me than he could ever be._ '  
  
"A Legendary Super Saiya-jin is born every few millennia," he started in monotone. "He will be the ultimate warrior, superior in both strength and speed. A being without a conscience, the only goal the Legendary Super Saiya-jin has is to destroy everyone and everything in his path."  
  
One small, pale hand waved his words away. "Get to the point, brat. I know that already."  
  
This was the part he loathed to tell him, the part he swore not to tell anyone outside of the Saiya-jin race. "It is said that only those with royal blood can become the ultimate warrior. According to my father, I am next in line to inherit the power."  
  
"Ah!" His eyes lit up. "This information was worth all of the trouble I had to go through to hear it." He smiled. "Well then, you will just have to stay here with me until you come into the power. Can't have you messing up my plans and getting in my way."  
  
"Are you an idiot?!" Bardock spoke for the first time since his arrival. "Super Saiya-jin can't think rationally! What makes you think that Vegeta won't hesitate to kill you once he becomes one?"  
  
A surprised look came over his face before he could mask it. "Kill me? Are you serious?" Furiza's tone was light but he was betrayed by the slight worry in his dark eyes. He had been considering that for a while now. What if Vegeta tried to kill him if he truly was the Legendary Super Saiya-jin? How could anyone stop such a warrior? He could always kill the prince while he was still weak, but it really would be wonderful to have a killing machine at his disposal. Greed and dark ambition eventually won and he smiled kindly at the young man.  
  
"Why kill everyone when you could rule them?" he asked. "Your planet is gone, Prince Vegeta, and your people are scattered. If you choose to stay with me then I guarantee you a sizable chunk of the universe to govern. Not just one planet but dozens! Imagine all those billions upon billions of people doing exactly what you say."  
  
' _He's playing with you, Vegeta._ ' He said this sternly to himself, begging his own ambition to stay put in the tiny corner he had shoved it into. With very few people to rule over and no place to call his home, he had given up what few dreams he had a long time ago. Now Furiza's words slowly awakened hope and everything that went along with it. ' _He won't hold to his end of the bargain, but it's awfully damn tempting to give in._ ' There were a few reserves of willpower remaining and he brought them forth to do battle with the Changeling's false promises.  
  
He gave him a look. "The prince of the Saiya-jin will have no man for his boss besides the king." He vacated his seat and moved towards the exit. "Thanks but no thanks."  
  
"I didn't give you permission to leave," Furiza said as he casually moved to bar their way. "If you will not join me voluntarily, then I will just have to make you join me." The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a cruel smile. "I can do things to you, little prince, that will make you beg for death."  
  
For a moment his mind hesitated, deciding between negotiation and protection. As Furiza locked the door with a click that seemed deafeningly loud in the silent room, his mind retreated into the quiet place where nothing could ever hurt it. ' _Let Furiza do whatever he likes to my body,_ ' he thought before he tensed up unconsciously, ' _he will never harm my spirit._ '  
  
As Bardock looked on in horror, Furiza began this second session of torture with great anticipation. And the lost little boy inside of Vegeta wept with each heavy blow.


	4. Chapter 4

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 4**

 

Zaabon paced in the outer chamber, angry at Dodoria for bringing Bardock to Furiza and angry at himself for not doing anything to stop it. He turned inward to his thoughts, successfully muting the sounds coming from the inner chamber. The chance for escape would come soon, and he would keep Furiza occupied until they were far, far away. ' _I will get away from him someday and hopefully I will have someplace to go._ '  
  
His mind brought him back to the present when the door opened and Bardock stepped through, aiding a bruised Vegeta even though the prince was pushing his hands away. The prince looked only furious, this time, instead of haunted as he did before. It reaffirmed his conclusion that rape was the most brutal form of assault.  
  
"I will not let you attack him and get killed!" Bardock told the boy he had raised from a small child. In his eyes, Vegeta was closer to him than he had ever been to his flesh-and-blood father. "Furiza doesn't want to kill you. If you try to fight him then that will change."  
  
The anguish was clear on his weary face. "I also can't just sit back and let him hurt me. Do you think that I'm a weak man, Bardock?"  
  
"You know that I don't." He struggled with how to say what he felt. "The others look at you with hope in their eyes. You're the strongest of all of us and our only chance to avenge the fallen. But," he continued as the beginnings of a smug smile flickered onto Vegeta's face, "if you die then we don't have a snowball's chance in Hell. Now is not the time to fight him, there will be other opportunities."  
  
"I will get stronger," he said as he digested the words, "and Furiza will die."  
  
Zaabon cleared his throat and made his presence known. "Before I take you back, there is something that I need to show you."  
  
Furiza's ship was actually split into three sections that spanned two levels. The Saiya-jin were imprisoned in the very same area that the Changeling's inner sanctum was located, so close that the prisoners always swore they could hear the screams of his victims. The crew's quarters were on the starboard side near the stern with the docking bay separating them from their lord's private rooms. Training rooms, communications, and a few other rooms took up the nearly the entire port side.  
  
There were five cells in all, each ranging from small to gigantic in size. The one Vegeta and his group were in was the second smallest one. Zaabon stopped in front of the largest cell, one that could easily hold two hundred people, and keyed in the entry code on the door pad beside the door. "He will be angry that I've shown you but I don't care anymore."  
  
Vegeta looked at him. "What are you talking about, Zaabon?"  
  
"This." He pushed open the door and gestured for him go inside. The two Saiya-jin stopped immediately inside of the door and just stared. Nothing either of them could say could do the moment justice.  
  
"Well," Vegeta said after several long seconds, "at least we know where everyone else is."  
  
"Goddamn it!" Bardock cursed fiercely. "You guys were supposed to escape him! You were the only hope we had for the survival of our people."  
  
The Saiya-jin in charge of the first ship that departed their planet on that fateful stepped forward with barely controlled rage. "Do you think we got captured on *purpose*?! What kind of fools do you take us for? Your group was the one we hoped would get away, we knew everyone else hadn't." He waved his hand around the room. "Look carefully, Bardock, this is what's left of our entire race."  
  
"Hold on a minute," Vegeta said calmly as he moved into the room. He glanced around, making sure he had everyone's attention. "We cannot allow Furiza to break us as a whole and hope to survive this encounter with him. I was ready to fight him, ready to throw away my life in a battle that I can't possibly win. I tell you now that we must choose our battles wisely."  
  
Sukatshu frowned at him. "You are completely ignorant of our ways. Obviously Bardock has done a poor job of raising you, boy."  
  
The older man suddenly found himself on the floor. Vegeta flexed his hand. "If you say anything else about him, or to him, that I don't like, I will do more than just knock you down. I will knock you out."  
  
"Yes, Prince Vegeta," he said with shame that such a young man could render him defenseless. "It will not happen again."  
  
"This is all quite entertaining, but there are more important things to discuss," Zaabon pushed away from the wall he was leaning against. "I will help you all to escape."  
  
Eyes turned to regard him, some noticing the Beibou-jin for the very first time. He was one of Furiza's assistants, supposedly dedicated to him heart and soul. Sukatshu looked him over slowly and his lip curled. "You are one of his warriors."  
  
A brief incline of his head. "Yes, but I am also a prisoner to his empire. All that I ask in return is a place to call my home." His eyes grew distant as he remembered. "Unlike you, I am the very last person of my race. There will be no others."  
  
"I want to believe you," Vegeta said slowly. He had known that there was something different about Zaabon the first time he had met them all those years ago. Absent in him was the innate evil that both his lord and Dodoria shared. Inside every being there was a shadow of the impenetrable darkness, a slight flaw in their design that made them capable of ugly deeds, but Furiza and Dodoria's had blossomed into vile wickedness "I *do* believe you. If we escape and make it to a planet where we can settle, you will always have a home among us." He held out his hand to him. "On my honor as prince of the Saiya-jin."  
  
They shook on it. "I will aid your escape without deceit. I swear upon the memory of my father and mother."  
  
The deal sealed, Zaabon settled himself comfortably on a spot on the floor. It was going to be a long day. "There are four moments each day when escape is possible," he ticked them off on his fingers. "Every morning after breakfast Furiza has audiences for at least half an hour. This provides a narrow window of opportunity between the time breakfast begins and the time he goes on his morning rounds. I don't know if such a large group can make it into the hangar within the time allotted."  
  
"Are all of our ships still there?" Vegeta asked with slight concern. "There is no way two-hundred Saiya-jin can all fit onto one ship."  
  
"They're there but locked into several storage bays. That's one of the things I'll have to do before you make your move." Another finger went down. "There's lunch, which lasts forty-five minutes. Furiza always dines in his chamber and takes a while to do so. The soldiers have only a limited amount of time and I'm still not sure that even forty-five minutes will be enough."  
  
Bardock looked around for the children, the elderly, and the battle-crippled Saiya-jin, trying to figure out if they would be the ones to slow them down. There were at least thirty in all and shouldn't affect their speed if the others would help them along. There was a potential problem: getting the other Saiya-jin to help at all. As a race, they were not known for kindness or helpfulness towards each other. Most of the healthy would vote to leave the others behind, if given the chance. All of them were needed to rebuild their society and it would be idiotic to waste their skills. "None of the kids, the elders, or the lame will slow us down," he said. "We will help them to freedom."  
  
Sukatshu opened his mouth but closed it from the scalding look he received from Vegeta. "Remember what I told you," the prince warned him.  
  
"Right," Zaabon nodded and dropped another finger. "Dinner lasts a little longer, but it's the riskiest time of all. It begins the soldiers' free hours which means a number of them will be walking around the ship. You would have to separate into tiny groups to sneak around and it would take significantly longer if you did so."  
  
"Sneaking around goes against our very nature," a long-haired Saiya-jin with a surprisingly gentle face told him. His name was Kyabetsu and he had been on the ship since he was younger than Vegeta. There had been no real battles to speak of, so his demeanor was not as battle-hardened as the rest. "We will be unable to take that chance."  
  
Only one finger was raised now and this moment was probably the one they all would choose. "When the ship is empty except for the night guards and everyone is in their beds, asleep. You have several hours after either dodging or taking care of the guards."  
  
Vegeta carefully weighed the pros and cons of each chance, even though the last one seemed to be the best. Appearances were definitely deceiving sometimes and the lives of his people were resting on this decision. "Will will make our move after dinner and hope for the best."  
  
"Good decision," Zaabon said in a relieved voice. He prayed to the gods above that Vegeta wouldn't choose wrong and knew that he could do little to influence him. "You do have technicians, don't you?" He didn't know if any Saiya-jin had any particular skill with electronics. "I will have to bring some inside the hangar to alter a few things on your ships. My skills don't extend to things of that nature." He rose to his feet and stretched his long legs. "I will return at 1800 hours tomorrow unless something goes wrong."  
  
With one last look to his people, Vegeta also stood and motioned for Bardock to follow. "We will succeed and Furiza will pay." A cheer rang up and pride filled his chest as he realized that their inspiration rested with him. ' _I cannot fail them. I *will* not fail them._ '


	5. Chapter 5

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 5**

 

There was one more stop to make before Zaabon took the two Saiya-jin back to their cell, and he didn't know how they would take it. Would they think he abandoned them or would they feel pity for a man that had been Furiza's prisoner for seventeen years? He stopped in front of a cell that could only hold one or two people and keyed in the code. "I want you to see him before you leave. Only you can make the decision to take him with you."  
  
One dark eyebrow rose sharply. "Do you consider us so barbaric that we would leave the weak to die miserable, lonesome deaths?"  
  
' _I don't know what I think..._ ' "I hardly know anything about you so it wouldn't be right for me to judge."  
  
"Yet, you have," Bardock commented. "Sometimes we let nature to take its course, but it depends on the person." He shrugged. "I wouldn't abandon my children in a forest if they were handicapped infants. Neither would you and neither would the prince. Some Saiya-jin would, though, and those few give the rest of us a bad name."  
  
Zaabon nodded with understanding. "They say that a few rotten apples spoil the barrel and I see that they are right." Pushing open the cell door, he held Bardock back when he stepped forward to enter behind Vegeta. It was something that the prince would need to do alone.  
  
The room was dim and tiny; after only a few steps forward he was in the center of the room. At first he didn't see what Zaabon wanted him to, but a soft sound just behind and to his right caught his attention. He turned slowly, not sure about what he would fine, and he felt all of the blood drain from his face in one quick rush.  
  
Never in his life had he seen someone look so pathetic and hoped to never see anyone else look that way again. Here was one man Furiza had successfully broken and he was staring mutely at the prince standing before him. Filthy rags that used to be clothing hung about him in tatters, smudges of dirt and old blood covered much of his exposed skin along with the shadows of bruises and cuts. Vegeta knelt down and inched forward slowly.  
  
"Do you remember me?" he asked softly, heart twisting at the sight. He wasn't usually an emotion-filled person but in addition to the pity there was a profound sense of fear. What if his spirit hadn't been strong enough to withstand Furiza's torture? Would he have been like this broken shell of a man crouched in the corner? If anything of the sort should ever befall him, he hoped that Bardock had sense enough to take away his life and free him of the disgrace. There was nothing else to live for besides the fighting and to render him unable to do that was something he could never recover from. "I'm Vegeta, your son."  
  
"I know who you are," he said in a voice permanently hoarse from years of screaming. "You haven't changed very much. Did he capture you, too?"  
  
He nodded. "Yesterday. He also tortured me, but I am still whole."  
  
"You are a better man than I, then." Vegeta Senior took a deep breath and released it quickly. "The days have blurred together and time has neither a beginning nor an end. Here I will die, my body expelled into space like so much trash." His dark, shadowed eyes sparked slightly with an inner fire he hadn't felt in a very long time. "You can kill him, boy. The fallen can have their revenge."  
  
' _I could train for half a lifetime and it still wouldn't be enough._ ' The realization only made him sigh. Outwardly he smirked slightly with confidence that he didn't feel. If Furiza could hold him down, even as he struggled to get free, and rape him until he nearly passed out from the pain then there was little he could do to him in a battle. ' _Besides, if Bardock's vision about his son was the real thing then I won't have to lift a finger._ ' That thought gave him mixed feelings. On one hand, he was prince of the Saiya-jin so it was his job to care for his people. That included wiping threats from existence. On the other, he knew that he couldn't win no matter what he tried. The only thing he would succeed in doing would be getting himself killed and dying without an heir would throw the Saiya-jin race into chaos so complicated that it would take centuries to straighten out. "I will do my best, Father." ' _And let us pray that it's enough._ '  
  
He sat down beside him and sighed. "We are to escape tomorrow and-"  
  
"No," he interrupted in a firm voice. "I've suffered too much already and the shame would probably kill me. Leave me here and let me die in what little peace I can find."  
  
Despite his best efforts, a little tiny bit of compassion had snuck its way into his heart. The prince just couldn't let his father sit in a dark prison cell hoping for the day his misery would end. He concentrated on his energy until his hand glowed blue and pressed it to the king's thin chest. Dark eyes lit up in understanding and with a gentle mental push, he let the energy flow from his hand into the frail body before him.  
  
"Thank you," the king said without voice as the light faded from his eyes, leaving them blank and glassy. Vegeta allowed his energy to dissipate and sat backwards on his heels to study the still form in silence. He could only hope that someone would do the same for him.  
  
Bardock was leaning against the wall when he exited with Zaabon next to him. The two of them were speaking about something, a conversation that halted one they took notice of him. "Well? Who did he want you to see?" The larger Saiya-jin pushed away from the wall and moved closer to the doorway. It took only a second for Bardock to spot the form huddled in the corner. "He did that to him."  
  
"Yeah," he nodded once. "He did. I'm not cruel enough to deny him the peace death would bring."  
  
"Some will see that as a weakness." Zaabon was mildly surprised the prince felt anything at all besides battle lust and insatiable hunger. "I, on the other hand, consider it honorable and, therefore, a strength. Honor is something that a lot of leaders today are lacking."  
  
He was slightly embarrassed at his complement. "Yeah, well..." ' _He's not the same man he was before, that's for sure. The Zaabon of old would have called me a weakling and emphasized his point by pushing me down or something. I could hold my own against him now, at least._ '  
  
Zaabon took them back to their cell, a place they wouldn't be staying in for very much longer. Vegeta told his shipmates about the other Saiya-jin and they began to talk amongst themselves, wondering what it would be like to have an empire again. There were enough of their people left, both male and female, for the race to continue with only the slightest of problems.  
  
Thoughts of the future kept their spirits up, and they all settled down in quiet peace. Vegeta leaned against the wall in his corner and stared sightlessly at the group sitting before him. It had been hard to see him that way, especially when all he could remember was the strong soldier who never allowed him a moment's rest. That intensive training had been what made him as strong as he was, though. Without it, he was sure that Furiza would have been able to break him.  
  
' _Father was so strong, maybe even stronger than I was. How could that Changeling do that to him? It doesn't make sense._ ' "Bardock," he said a loud, "if Furiza got his hands on you, would you be able to survive with your spirit intact?"  
  
"Yes, I could," he said without hesitation. Then he realized why the question was asked. "Things were different for the king, Vegeta. He had no idea if some of us had escaped successfully or not so there was nothing to hope for. Without that, it's easy to give up."  
  
He thought that over and decided that it was a very good answer. "I understand."  
  
Bardock felt bad for him and was a little surprised about that. Feeling anything other than vague responsibility for your children was practically unheard of in their society. Most young Saiya-jin grew up never knowing love or kindness and that's what helped to form them into the perfect killing machines. ' _My parents didn't care diddly squat about me and I turned out okay._ ' He paused at that though. He was one of the rare Saiya-jin that derived little joy from the art of fighting. Before the battle, when it was in its planning stages, he enjoyed using his mind. And after, when their foes were cowering before him, he had a chance to feel hot blood as it dripped from his body onto the ground and watch the realization of death dawn in their eyes. ' _Well, mostly okay. Time to get Vegeta's mind off things._ ' "What are you going to do when we get out of here?"  
  
"Am I supposed to do something special?" he asked with faint amusement. "I was completely unaware of that. How about we have a celebration?"  
  
Images of extremely drunk Saiya-jin challenging each other in pointless competitions flashed across his mind and he winced. "I don't want someone accidentally firing a blast at the hull. Getting sucked into space is probably not a nice feeling."  
  
  
_Vegeta remembered one celebration when he was very young. They had taken some planet that had resisted the initial invasion for, at least, a week, the longest ever by King Vegeta's standards. The alliance with Furiza had still been brand new and most Saiya-jin felt it was better to have the Changeling as an ally than as an enemy. Still, there had been some grumbling when the treaty was signed, but nothing more had been said about it._  
  
The party in the mess hall had lasted almost all night. The Saiya-jin were a noisy bunch by nature and the sound level was nearing the stage where it would cause headaches in some people. He had been three years old and very small, so he was able to sneak into the room without anyone noticing.  
  
What he saw shocked him to the very core of his being. The stoic warriors he'd often seen around the palace were gone, replaced by men and women who seemed to actually be having a lot of fun. Standing against a wall, his eyes darted around the room, taking everything in. There were at least five people dancing on the tables, more than twenty engaged in challenges, and the rest were sprawled about just talking... or laughing. Vegeta didn't know that adult Saiya-jin *could* laugh.  
  
"What're you doing here, squirt?" Bardock asked as he rolled his eyes at the celebrants in the room. "Just disgraceful. Completely and utterly disgraceful. What if someone decides to attack us right now? Can't stop 'em with all my best warriors lazing around getting drunk."  
  
Dark eyes blinked as he looked over at the man. "But they look like they're havin' fun."  
  
A snort. "Fun's usually a foreign concept to these people. We're Saiya-jin, not party animals." He raised to fingers to his mouth, intending on letting loose with an ear-piercing whistle to catch their attention, when a small hand tugged on the hem of his shirt. Bardock looked down at the tiny prince, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"Please? Just this once?" He grinned privately to himself when his saw the muscles in the corners of Bardock's mouth twitch as if he struggled not to smile. Vegeta had learned the art of not showing his happiness a long time ago.  
  
"Fine, kid. Whatever." He ruffled his hair and lifted him into his arms. "It's bedtime for little kids."  
  
"Aw, c'mon! Just let me stay up this one time, please?" He turned sad eyes to him and the man winced. He hated when children did that to him.  
  
"Do I look like a damn pushover to you?" He felt himself caving and sighed in surrender. "I guess I am. Well, it shouldn't hurt. It's not like your father is here to make you go to sleep."  
  
He felt small arms wrap themselves around his neck. "Thanks, Bardock. You're the best."  
  
  
  
That had been before the training had any real effect, one of the last times he had ever been truly happy. Bardock, the king's battle commander, had always been his real father in his opinion; he took care of him when the king was too busy to care. Raditzu, Bardock's oldest son, had never liked the prince tagging along and had told him in no uncertain terms that doing it would result in dire consequences. Vegeta had just ignored him and continued to do so. Besides, he was already stronger than the slightly older boy; there wasn't really anything he could do to hurt him.  
  
"Okay then, no celebration. How about we just find a planet and settle down to rebuild our race?"  
  
Bardock nodded. "Fine, but you do know that we're going to have to get the other inhabitants to agree, don't you? We can't spare anyone for a long, drawn-out invasion." He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness at the prince's sharp look. "It can't be helped, Vegeta. I know you don't want us to look weak, but it'll be even more pathetic if hundreds of farmers with pitch forks were able to kill off the remainder of our race."  
  
The thought made him smile slightly. "Farmers with pitch forks? Really, Bardock, I doubt they would even have to send them. Children will probably appear with sling shots and pellet guns and take us down."  
  
"You *do* have a sense of humor!" he said with mock amazement. "Imagine that."  
  
Vegeta grunted slightly in response and got as comfortable as he could on the hard floor. He wanted to take a nap before lunch because he had the strangest feeling that he was going to need the energy.  
  


***

  
Zaabon absently munched on a piece of fruit he'd stolen from the mess hall as he went down the hallway towards the communications center. It was very quiet on the ship, everyone was either eating dinner or enjoying their free time, and the few guards he did see were obviously so relaxed they were on the verge of falling asleep. ' _They better hope Furiza doesn't find them that way or he'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget._ ' When he stepped through the doorway, one eyebrow raised as he recognized the small form standing before the radar screen. ' _Speak of the devil..._ '  
  
"I think they're trying to intercept us, sir," said a green alien that always reminded Zaabon of a lizard, "the ships are accelerating at a steady pace."  
  
Furiza stroked his hairless chin thoughtfully. "Trying to attack me, eh? I thought you were too smart for this, Elinas." A slow smirk spread across his face. "Let's give them a battle they'll talk about for years. We're close to the boundary line. Go into hyper-drive in thirty minutes, as if we're running away, and then slow down so that they can catch up after we enter the territory. If we decelerate now, then he'll know I'm going to trick him."  
  
"Good plan, sir," said the man at the ships controls, "Very good plan indeed."  
  
His blood ran cold as ice and his heart started beating faster. ' _Shit! If we cross that line then there is no way they can escape!_ ' Zaabon began to back out of the room very slowly so that no one would notice that he was there. ' _And if they don't escape I'll have nowhere to run to._ ' A grim look settled onto his face. ' _Well, the plan is just going to have to go into action a day earlier than we thought._ '  
  
He couldn't get over to the smaller Saiya-jin-filled cell fast enough and his hands shook slightly as he punched in the code. Vegeta snapped to full awareness as the door opened and he rose to his feet. "We are ready," he said, knowing that something unexpected had come up. "Let's join the others and I will go over the plan."  
  
Getting thirty Saiya-jin down the hall wasn't a real problem, and the one soldier that had questioned it was given a standard response. "Furiza ordered me to do so and I doubt you want to question him about it." It had done the trick and soon everyone was stuffed into a too small room, awaiting orders. "First off, I have to take the techs with me now. There shouldn't be anyone in there at the moment, but we may run into a few people. If that happens, just allow me to do the talking, okay? I don't want anyone squealing to Lord Furiza. I'll be back for everyone else after stage one is complete."  
  
Vegeta looked as if he was going to say something about him taking charge, but then figured that Zaabon knew the ship and its inhabitants better than he did. Shrugging, he selected three Saiya-jin and sent them off with the aide. "Listen good if you don't want to be left behind. We only have one chance to do this and if I'm stuck in this Hell-hole because one of you screwed everything up..." He trailed off and let their imaginations fill in the blanks. Sometimes that was more effective than anything someone else could come up with. Taking note of the serious faces, he decided that things had a good chance of going alright.


	6. Chapter 6

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 6**

 

' _This has to be the most insane idea I've ever come up with,_ ' Zaabon said to himself as he and the Saiya-jin technicians paused at yet another intersection. ' _We're going to get caught and Lord Furiza will torture me to death._ ' He peeked around the corner, hoping that the coast was clear. It was the third time they had to stop, but, luckily enough, they hadn't been caught by any of the patrolling guards. After dinner was, in fact, the worst time to escape, but in half an hour the ship would enter Furiza's territory.  
  
He motioned for the other two men to move forward and the three of them crept down the hall. It was just a little further to the hangar, and there were actually still twenty-five minutes remaining until the jump to hyperspace. Only one last intersection remained before the three of them reached the double doors, and it just so happened that this hallway was one of the busiest. Zaabon frowned in thought and looked left and right.  
  
There were eight soldiers, three of which were patrolling. Three were stationed by various doors and two more were guarding the entrance to the hangar. ' _I need a diversion, something that will cause all eight of them to go running in the opposite direction._ ' He turned to the two Saiya-jin behind him and motioned them closer. "Stay here, alright? I have to go cause some havoc."  
  
"Why should we trust you?" Yashi asked him as he exchanged a look with Kitsu.  
  
"You don't have a choice. Is that a good enough reason for you?" Zaabon took a deep breath and went down the hallway, towards the crew quarters. He felt as if everyone was staring, and that one little mistake would ruin the entire plan. It was all in his head, he knew, but that didn't ease the fear.  
  
A small niche sat in the wall, holding a lamp that helped to light the hallway. He raised his index finger and directed a small beam of ki at the bulb, causing a miniature explosion that spread to several other neighboring lamps before ceasing. Suddenly, the hallway was filled with people who were all wondering what happened. He did his own share of false wonder and went back to the two Saiya-jin. ' _Hope they had sense enough to cross the hallway after everyone ran this way._ '  
  
It was cool and quiet inside the hangar, the technicians there only doing routine maintenance. He retrieved to white lab coats from a hook for Yashi and Kitsu, and sent them to work on the four Saiya-jin ships. The locks on the bays were dealt with quickly and Zaabon gave them a rundown on what they would have to do.  
  
"Furiza can track your ships and you definitely don't want that to happen. You need to put something inside of each of them so he can't find you easily."  
  
Yashi tapped his finger against the side of his face as he consulted with Kitsu. "Do you think a Class A cloaking device would do it?" He tossed a few questions to Zaabon. "What class is Furiza's tracking technology? Does he already have cloaking devices on board?"  
  
"I don't really know," He frowned as he realized he would have to get a tech to answer his question. There weren't very many he could trust. He went off in search for someone and Kitsu began to examine the equipment.  
  
"Does he expect us to build something from scratch? That'll take months!"  
  
"Yeah, we only have fifteen minutes at the most." Yashi looked up as Zaabon literally dragged someone else over. The fourth man was protesting vehemently. What if Furiza were to find out he helped the Saiya-jin to escape? No planet in the Universe would be able to hide him!  
  
Kitsu put on his best stern look and poked him in the chest. "Look, either you help us or I'm going to kill you."  
  
"Lord Furiza can do a lot worse to me," he answered stubbornly. "He'd probably skin me for just allowing you to escape. Imagine what would happen if I helped you!" He shuddered at the thought.  
  
"Then don't get caught!" Zaabon shouted in frustration. "Look, I'll give you something in return for your help."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
The aide pushed him in the direction of a storage room. "Do this first and then I'll tell you. We don't have much time left."  
  
It took a few minutes to find the supplies and then the two Saiya-jin techs were off, a cloaking device in each hand. Zaabon watched them go about their work for a moment. ' _It's amazing. I never thought a Saiya-jin could have enough brain cells to work with technology._ '  
  
"How long do you think this will take?" Yashi asked his friend before they parted to do their jobs. "He said before that there were only thirty minutes, tops."  
  
"I can wire one in about five minutes, but if you keep asking me questions I'll never get anything done!" Glaring at Zaabon for a brief moment, he then turned and went to the first ship. In truth, he didn't know if either he or Yashi could complete their mission within the time allotted. There should have been more people on the job, but they were the most capable of all the technicians. Prince Vegeta trusted them to get the job done.  
  
Going back through the hangar doors and noticing that the guards were, once again, in place, Zaabon went back to the holding cell to wait with the others.  
  


***

  
He just couldn't sit still and wait for the aide to return.  
  
Vegeta wasn't a patient person by nature, but he usually could be still for short periods of time. The waiting was slowly driving him insane, he thought, and needed to be doing something other than just staring at a wall. "How much longer?" he asked Bardock whose internal clock seemed to be always correct. "Five more minutes and I'm just going to leave."  
  
"You know we have to wait. No telling how many guards are out there in the hallway." He did a quick mental calculation. "We've got about fifteen minutes left on the clock. If Zaabon doesn't come back soon we can forget about escaping."  
  
"Damn it!" he growled, causing the nearest Saiya-jin to him to move away slightly. Bardock only rolled his eyes and went back to counting the seconds. Vegeta could remember the day they escaped from the doomed Planet Vegeta very clearly. He might have only been six at the time, but he had observed enough to create lasting memories.  
  
  
_The day had dawned clear and he remembered an unfamiliar feeling of nervousness. It was as if he knew that something life-altering was going to happen that day. After eating breakfast in the royal dining room, he went off with Nappa (who had hair then) so that he could train._  
  
Five Saibamen and all were killed with quick precision. Through the viewing window he saw the stunned look on the observing officer's face and smirked quietly to himself. Not bad for a child, eh?  
  
"I will never get stronger here," he said to Nappa as they walked away from the training room. "I'm going to tell Furiza to send me to the next planet he wants to conquer."  
  
The man froze in his tracks and stared at the tiny prince in mute horror. "Are you serious?!"  
  
"Problem?" he asked with a raised eyebrow look over his shoulder. Nappa had paled and shook his head. Facing forward once more, a smile made it's way onto the prince's face. "Good."  
  
Loud laughter floated from the open door of the soldier's mess hall as the two of them walked by. Nappa continued on, not caring the least bit about third-class soldiers, but Vegeta found himself pausing to peek inside. If nothing else, he wished to discover just what was so funny.  
  
A man stood in the middle of the room; his armor tattered and his exposed skin covered in cuts, bruises, and blood. A violent expletive burst forth from him and he turned to find the prince staring at him with questioning eyes.  
  
"My prince!" he said, dropping down to kneel at his feet. "I bring word that Furiza will destroy our planet and kill our people! Visions come to me, terrible visions of death and darkness." His dark eyes begged the young boy to believe him even as the other Saiya-jin continued to chuckle in the background. Vegeta stared at him for a long moment before nodding his head.  
  
"Come," he said with a small sigh, "we have work to do."  
  
As the two of them met up with Nappa in the hallway, Bardock's voice floated back to reach the ears of his comrades. "We will change our future!"  
  
  
' _If I hadn't believed him, we all would be feeling the flames of Hell._ '  
  
Seconds turned into minutes and soon there were only ten remaining. Vegeta had long since abandoned any ideas of remaining still, instead choosing to pace across what little floor space belonged to him. He froze on his journey away from the cell door and peered down at Bardock. "What the hell is going on with him?" Two Saiya-jin looked into his very still face and shrugged in unison.  
  
It was as if the man had died or fallen into deep unconsciousness. His body was very still and he stared off into the distance, eyes unseeing. The only outward sign that Death hadn't laid cold hands to his body was the faint, nearly indiscernible, movement of his chest as he breathed. A sudden feeling of panic rose deep inside of Vegeta as he kneeled next to the man, eyes very large and dark against the stark paleness of his face.  
  
"Bardock," he said quietly so as not to startle him. When he received no response, he reached out and roughly shook him. "Bardock, wake up!"  
  
For one very long moment nothing happened. Then, Bardock blinked once, long and slow. "Is it time yet?" he asked.  
  
"Where did your mind go?" Vegeta asked, almost insanely relieved that nothing was seriously wrong with his surrogate father. "For a moment, I thought you were..." He broke off, unable to say the word aloud.  
  
"He's coming for us," Bardock said, not answering his question for a moment. "You need to get everyone ready."  
  
Vegeta rose and grabbed his arm. "I'll do that in a moment. Now, where did you go?"  
  
"You know that I have visions because of that Kanassa-jin, right?" he fidgeted as he spoke, somehow uncomfortable with talking about it. "I saw us on a ship, coming upon a blue planet that I've definitely seen before." He smiled. "We've done it, Vegeta. Our destinies have been altered."  
  
"We'll celebrate later," the prince told him as explosions began to rock the ship and a klaxon went off somewhere in the distance. He then levitated above the crowd and made sure that everyone could see him. "The time has come for us to leave this place and go out into the Universe to search for another world. I will spare no words, this journey will be tough; most likely the toughest you've ever embarked upon. But we will see it through and emerge from the hardship a stronger people. No matter what happens today, we will still have the knowledge that the Saiya-jin people have changed their destiny." The muted beeps of the electronic keypad touched the silent room and then the cell door was opening.  
  
"C'mon, you don't have very long." Zaabon urged them outside into the hallway and then took the lead. The guards were strangely absent and the red emergency lights that lined the way were blinking slowly. "I set the alarms off so everyone should be on the other side of the ship by now."  
  
"You're risking a lot for us," Vegeta said quietly so that only the aide could hear. "Thank you."  
  
"Just remember what I asked of you. One day, I will be there to collect my reward."  
  
The hangar was completely deserted save for the two Saiya-jin techs who were waiting with big grins on their faces. As the large group divided into four smaller ones, Kitsu began to tell the occupants of his ship all about the trials of installation. It hadn't been quite as difficult as he was describing it, but Yashi let him get away with it.  
  
As the Saiya-jin were boarding, Vegeta silently regarded a man who he had once despised. It was amazing; an aide to the most feared being in the Universe was now one of his greatest allies. He raised one hand into the air. "You are a true friend. I am honored to know you."  
  
"The feeling's mutual," Zaabon said with a smile as they shook hands. "Don't go get yourself killed before you reach your new world. The coordinates are already programmed into the systems, so there's no need to search." He turned and walked towards the control room. His final job was to open the hatch and allow the ships to pass through to the cold, airless space outside. ' _Here's hoping Lord Furiza's techs have enough sense to leave the hangar._ '  
  
"What planet are we heading off to?" Vegeta called the question to him before the distance grew too great. Zaabon turned his head slightly and grinned.  
  
"The natives call it Chikyuu."


	7. Chapter 7

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 7**

 

Everyone was silent as the ship they had been held captive on for three days faded into the distance. They had known that they were free the moment their ship left the hangar, but it seemed like it wasn't real until the larger ship was no longer in view. Cheers rose up, a great sound that nearly shook the ship with its intensity. Vegeta released a breath that he had no idea he was holding and collapsed into the nearest chair.  
  
It was then that he noticed the usually stoic Bardock's behavior. The older man was grinning widely and there was a twinkle in his dark eyes. As a matter of fact, he was starting to scare the prince.  
  
"Are you... okay?" he asked, both eyebrows raised so high that they were nearly even with his widow's peak.  
  
"We're going to Chikyuu!" he said with barely suppressed excitement. By that time, the other Saiya-jin had begun to crowd around him in curiosity. He rolled their eyes at them. "You guys don't get it, do you? Chikyuu's the blue planet I've been Seeing."  
  
"You've seen it in visions?!" Vegeta stood and stood before him, annoyance clear on his face. "When were you going to tell me about it, Bardock? I'm your prince; I have a right to know!"  
  
A calm smile was his only answer. "Actually, boy, you are our king." He chuckled as the color drained from his face as Vegeta realized the full import of what he had done on Furiza's ship. "You were so focused on us getting away that you've completely forgotten about the Sending."  
  
Reverent silence descended upon them. The Sending was a Saiya-jin tradition that dated back as far as anyone could remember. In order for a prince to gain the throne, he had to murder his father and send his soul to Hell. Most of the time it was one of the hardest things a prince ever had to accomplish in his lifetime, but a few kings had been as weary as the previous king had been and put up no fight.  
  
"On the ship, I killed him," Vegeta whispered. Before he had been ruling in name only because Bardock had been the true leader. Now, the lives of dozens were placed into his care. ' _Can I do this? Can I take care of my people without fucking up?_ '  
  
"You've done fine so far, Vegeta." Bardock recognized the fear and panic in his eyes; many young Saiya-jin placed into a position of power often looked the exact same way. "Leadership is in your blood, boy. You'll know what to do."  
  
Abruptly changing the subject to give the new king time to regain his composure, he started on his visions. "You all know that I saw Furiza blow up our planet, correct?" He received nods. "I had another vision that I told no one of. On the Day of Sorrow my second son, Kakarotto, was born. He was sent to a planet in the middle of nowhere and I've been looking for him ever since. The planet Zaabon spoke of, Chikyuu, is the very same one he was sent to. I know it! Don't you see?"  
  
"Don't we see what?" Outou asked, the confusion on his face mirrored by many others. "All I know is that your son is supposed to kill the one who nearly destroyed our race. That's all you've ever told us."  
  
"This is no coincidence, people. We're ensnared in the sticky web of Fate." The lingering smile on his face faded. "We can't control our destines, something up there is doing it for us."  
  
Nanka frowned in worry. "I hope that planet you saw Kakarotto and Furiza fight on wasn't Chikyuu. We shouldn't be anywhere near them when it happens. It can't be safe."  
  
Bardock rolled his eyes at him. "You're probably the only one here that wouldn't want to see that battle. Wouldn't you want to be there to see our people avenged?"  
  
"I like my limbs where they are, thank you very much." He shuddered at the thought of Furiza attacking him. The nightmare would come true if he ever found out where they were. Turning away from the others, Nanka went to his place at the communications console.  
  


***

  
The next day found Vegeta staring out the viewport in his private room. For some reason he couldn't place, he felt uneasy about leaving Furiza alive. How long would it take him to discover their absence? What would he do to find them again?  
  
The door slid upward and he didn't bother to look behind him. He knew there was only one person that would enter without knocking. "What do you want Bardock?"  
  
He didn't speak until Vegeta felt the slight dip in the bed that meant Bardock had sat down. "This is the strangest thing you've ever done since the time you thought you were God."  
  
Vegeta turned to face him, eyebrow high on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"You don't remember?" he chuckled. "You were nine years old and I think you'd accidentally slipped and fallen coming out of the shower."  
  
  
_"Fear me, you lowlife bastards! Bow before your lord and master!"_  
  
The Saiya-jin in the mess hall looked at the young boy dressed in a white bed sheet that pooled at his feet and erupted into laughter. Eyes narrowed, he carefully climbed up onto the nearest table, knocking several dishes to the floor, and pointed his index finger around the room. "I am God," he said in a low voice filled with anger, "and you will respect me!"  
  
"What are you on, boy?" Bardock asked with an amused smile on his face. "Whatever it is, you need to stop using."  
  
He tried to stalk down the table toward the man, but tripped on the bottom of his sheet and fell flat on his face. The laughter only grew louder when, in his attempt to rise, his foot slipped in a mound of mashed potatoes and he slid down the rest of the long table and landed on the floor. Tears were running down numerous faces until Bardock squatted down beside the boy and noticed that he was unconscious. Picking him up, he carried him back to his room and laid him on the bed.  
  
Examining his skull, Bardock found not one but *two* bumps. Something had to have happened to make the prince delusional and he figured that a knock to the head was it. "You better be normal when you wake up, Vegeta. I don't want the others to rupture something from laughing so hard."  
  
  
He laughed at the memory. "Before you woke up, I made everyone promise not to ever bring it up again."  
  
"That's the reason why everyone seemed to be laughing at me that week!" He punched him in the arm. "You should have told me. I have the right to know just how bad a fool I made of myself."  
  
Bardock nodded but the smirk didn't leave his face. "Are you out of your mood, now?"  
  
"When will he find us, Bardock?" He interrupted the older man before he could respond. "You and I both know that he eventually will."  
  
"Hopefully it'll be after we get to Chikyuu. I don't want to get into a fight with Furiza, but especially not in space." He almost couldn't stop the tremor from going through his body. "None of us could survive something like that."  
  
Vegeta rose to his feet. "It's alright to be afraid, Bardock. Everyone else is as well."  
  
"Including you?"  
  
"*Especially* me," he corrected. "C'mon, we should be close to Xelos."  
  
Five minutes later they were descending through the atmosphere and landing at the space port. Xelos was a planet that many travelers found themselves on for many reasons. The Saiya-jin were there to purchase supplies. Zaabon hadn't told them how long it was going to take to reach Chikyuu so Vegeta wanted to be prepared.  
  
"Give me stats, Outou," Vegeta ordered as he reached the bridge.  
  
"Xelos is a Class A planet with various terrain. The atmosphere is mostly comprised of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide with amounts of 25.80%, 72.19%, 2%, and 0.01%. Its native inhabitants are called Xelian and the global population is approximately seven-hundred million. Average battle power is 275.53."  
  
"Not bad," the king commented. "Nanka, have you contacted the other ships and let them know that they are to land as well?"  
  
"Yes, my king. They will meet us on the tarmac."  
  
The four ships were left on the apron and a fee was negotiated upon. Although they didn't have much currency (especially of the unit that was accepted on Xelos), they were willing to pay. It wouldn't be wise to have a planet of so many people angry at them.  
  
Once everyone was gathered together, Vegeta divided them into groups and appointed them tasks. Some would purchase the food, others would see to the maintenance and refueling of the ships, while still more would search for information. There were few people here who had heard of their race since Xelos hadn't ever been targeted for real estate. After consulting with Bardock, Vegeta told them to meet up at a bar about half-a-mile away from the spaceport in three hours. The older man had an idea up his sleeve and was going to try his best to make it work.  
  
"You know we don't have the money to pay for this," Vegeta said as he and Bardock went on their way by themselves. "Do you actually think they'll let us rent a room for free?"  
  
He snorted. "Of course not, boy. I have an offer they can't refuse." A single eyebrow rose in waiting. "Either the owner allows us to borrow that room or we'll kill his family."  
  
"Ah, a good threat always does the trick."  
  
"Who said anything about a threat?"  
  
They spent the entire time watching the street performers and sampling the food. A festival to one of their gods was occurring and wine flowed freely throughout the city. Vegeta had four large cups of the sweet, fruity liquid before Bardock made him leave the area.  
  
"If you haven't forgotten, I am the king," he said in a voice that was only slightly slurred. "I can do what I want."  
  
"King or not you're still my kid," Bardock gave him the sternest look that he was capable of, "and when I say no, I mean no!"  
  
This was the first time someone stopped him from doing something stupid because it was for his own good. The realization that Bardock actually cared about him made warmth flow throughout his body. Later on, when he was sober, it would be blamed on the wine. "I love you, man!" he cried and hugged the startled soldier. Bardock awkwardly patted him on the back and carefully pried him loose.  
  
"That's it, no more alcoholic beverages. You get weird when you're drunk."  
  
A goofy smile appeared on the king's face. "Sure, Papa. Whatever you say."  
  
Eyes wide in shock, he grabbed his shoulders. "What did you call me?!"  
  
"You're my papa, aren't you?" Confusion shone in his dark eyes. "I wasn't supposed to call you that?"  
  
"Only if you want to, Vegeta." He tried to stop the huge grin from spreading across his face, but it was a lost cause from the beginning. "You'll be the first to ever call me that."  
  
"There are two kinds of family: those you're bound to by blood and those you're bound to by choice. Oftentimes the latter bond is the strongest." That said, his attention wavered and he spotted more free food, running off to devour it. Bardock stood there and watched him for a moment, pondering on how wise he had become. Eventually shrugging, he went off in the opposite direction to secure a room for the celebration.


	8. Chapter 8

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 8**

 

The giant flashback in this chapter has been taken directly from the Japanese version of the second DBZ TV special  _Bardock: Father of Goku_  and was only altered slightly to fit this fanfic.  
  
  
The first level of Saiya-jin drinking always involved bawdy and tasteless jokes. These sometimes humorous anecdotes often made the few innocent women they had blush. Level two incorporated ditties of the perverted kind. Bardock, for some odd reason, knew more songs than anyone so he was called the most often to sing.  
  
The third level was the start of challenges issued to the strongest warrior. By this time, Vegeta had gotten his hands on something more potent than wine. So the king, who was three-sheets to the wind, decided that he was going to accept any challenge that came his way. He and Beibak stumbled over to the cleared space in the center of the room and basically slapped at each other until Beibak passed out. Vegeta let out a cheer and promptly landed face down over the other man. They were dragged from the floor and level four began.  
  
Bardock pushed his half empty glass aside, feeling only slightly drunk seeing as he always stopped at level two. Someone had to stay sober enough to keep everyone in reasonably in line. There was a down side to drinking that much, though. It always made him melancholy.  
  
How would he, Toma, Celipa, Totepo, and Panboukin have celebrated if his best friends had lived to see this day? Leaning back into his chair, he remembered the day of their deaths.  
  
  
_The ground was broken and the lifeless, beaten bodies of his friends were lying haphazardly along the cold earth. Eyes wide in shock, he scanned the area._  
  
"Bardock..." a voice said weakly. Running over to his friend, he kneeled beside him and raised his head.  
  
"Toma! What's going on? What happened?"  
  
"You fool, you could have stayed away."  
  
"Did the people of Planet Meet...?"  
  
"We destroyed them in a second." He interrupted.  
  
Bardock frowned in confusion. "Then who attacked you?"  
  
"Furiza! He betrayed us!" It was hard to speak of and even harder to believe.  
  
"No!" He shook his head in denial. "It can't be!"  
  
"Furiza's been using us all along. I'm dying, but I have to tell you this. Furiza will kill all of us Saiya-jin. Listen, go back to Planet Vegeta and gather our comrades to kill Furiza. Show him the strength of the Saiya-jin people."  
  
The light slowly faded from his eyes as they closed and Bardock marveled at how peaceful he looked in death. He untied the white cloth Toma wore around his left bicep and used it to wipe the blood from his friend's face. He slowly took in the senseless deaths of his closest friends, feeling the cooling blood drip from his hand and soak into the rust-stained rag. His scouter picked up a reading and he turned to find four men watching him with hostile eyes. What had they ever done to cause Furiza to take such drastic measures?  
  
"It's your turn to die," said the horned alien at the forefront with a cold laugh.  
  
In mute rage, he tied the blood-soaked rag around his head in bandanna fashion. It really didn't matter why the soldiers killed his friends. There would be vengeance.  
  
Bardock had high hopes for the battle, but in the end, he just wasn't strong enough. Lying battered and bloody, he closed his eyes and waited for a death that did not come. Instead Dodoria, who had been the one to deal the nearly fatal blow, had gotten a call on his communicator and he flew off back to Furiza's ship.  
  
Not wasting a moment, Bardock jumped back into his space pod and flew at top speed back to Planet Vegeta. "I still can't believe that Furiza wants to kill us." Near the completion of the trip, he found himself gazing out of the window and watching a small pod go by in the opposite direction. Somehow he knew what small bundle it contained and the vision instantly sprung to mind. "Kakarotto..." he whispered. Upon landing, he exited the pod and leaned against the side of it to regain a little of his strength.  
  
"What's wrong, Bardock?" one soldier asked.  
  
"You're a little late. We've just launched your kid to Chikyuu... some frontier planet."  
  
He froze and looked back at the two of them. "Chikyuu?"  
  
The second soldier smiled at him. "Yes, it's a blue planet in a solar system light-years from here. Even a low-level soldier could destroy it in a couple of months. Go visit him after you get better.  
  
"But what's the matter with you? How did you get all those wounds? I heard that you went to Planet Meet."  
  
Bardock stared through them, remembering. "That was... Chikyuu. Yes, there's no doubt about it now. All the dreams I've been having are of the real future. That means..." He gasped and resumed his trek at a faster pace. "It can't be!"  
  
"Are you alright, Bardock?"  
  
Ignoring both the question and the burning pain of his wounds, he ran into the building with faltering steps. Closer and closer the mess hall came, but the pain became too great and he blacked out briefly from it. The images that assaulted his mind both surprised and frightened him. There was Planet Vegeta's destruction, his small son growing from a squalling infant to a competent adult, and the battle between Kakarotto and Furiza. As Bardock reached out to his son, the vision faded and he found himself once again in the deserted hallway.  
  
He did make it to the mess hall but if the prince hadn't come along, none of his comrades would have believed a word he said.  
  
They escaped successfully by leaving the planet from a point not visible by Furiza. As the red sphere faded from sight, Bardock whispered a promise. "Everything's going to change. The Saiya-jin's destiny, my destiny, Kakarotto's destiny, and also your destiny, you bastard."  
  
  
A familiar squeak brought him out of his thoughts. Turning to the form sprawled in the booth beside him, he sighed when the noticed the signs of Vegeta caught in the throes of a nightmare. He shook him hard, hoping that he could awaken before the others noticed his distress. The dreams were a weakness, one that could be exploited by any Saiya-jin with aspirations to become king.  
  
Vegeta jerked away after a few more shakes, eyes wide and breath coming in gasps. After a frantically looking around for several moments, his vision cleared and he was able to catch sight of Bardock. Calming down immediately, he sank against the leather of the seats with an anguished sigh.  
  
"Will they ever stop?" he asked in a voice that held little hope. The nightmares, further fueled by the fear that a certain enraged Changeling would track them down, only grew worse as time wore on. His slumber held little rest and he felt as if the fatigue was causing his skills to suffer. Something had to be done soon or he would be useless as the leader of his people.  
  
Bardock stood and motioned for him to follow, deciding that it would be better if they could talk without eavesdroppers. "I used to have nightmares as a kid, Vegeta," he said as they walked down the street towards the sea. The lamps cast pale splashes of circular light onto the sidewalk, lighting their way easily. The shops were all closed up tight on the street and only the pedestrians were tourists. "My father was like most Saiya-jin, cold and cruel. There was no love lost between us when he died. Anyway, I used to wake up in the middle of the night relieved that father wasn't beating me. He did it for the smallest reasons until it got so bad that it happened even in my dreams."  
  
Vegeta looked up at him in sympathy. "Does it still?"  
  
"One day I woke up and realized that they were only memories and couldn't hurt me. Until you can understand that and move on, they will haunt you."  
  
They reached the marina and sat down on the weathered wood of the dock. The lights from the few boats still out bounced on the water as small waves disturbed their reflections. It was quiet and peaceful, a perfect place to have a serious and uninterrupted conversation. After a extended moment of though, Vegeta ran his hands through his hair in frustration.  
  
"I can't just forget them! Papa, you don't know how much it hurt and how humiliated I felt." He looked down at the feet dangling above the dark water. "I will never forget it."  
  
Bardock placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "You shouldn't forget. The mistakes of others often teach us valuable lessons. There will come a day when you discover that the past no longer has any power over you, when you are able to think back without fear."  
  
"I hope so," he said softly. "Papa? Thanks."  
  
They turned away from the water and headed back to the celebration.  
  


***

  
Furiza walked through the halls as if he owned the place -- which, of course, he did. There was much to be said about his good mood, most of it had been attributed to the fact that Elinas and his crew were now floating in millions of microscopic pieces in space among the wreckage of their ship. It had felt good to dissect one of his sworn enemies and soon the floors would run red with the blood of dozens more. "Ah," he smiled happily to himself, "life is good."  
  
The door was suddenly in front of him and his hands tingled in anticipation. No sound came from the medium-sized cell so the tyrant assumed that his captives were asleep. ' _Imagine the looks on their faces when I go in!_ ' He pressed the code into the electronic pad and grinned as the door slid open without a sound.  
  
The gleeful expression vanished as quickly it had appeared. The cell was empty, completely empty. Furiza examined every nook and cranny in a daze, trying to fathom an escape from a locked room. There was no way in the universe they could have gotten away without help.  
  
"WHO DID THIS?!" he roared, temper flaring. The small Changeling fairly stomped down the hallway to the largest of all the cells. Furiza knew what he would find, but deep down there was still a small kernel of hope. Maybe the Saiya-jin were still trapped inside, maybe the hours of joyous torture could still be savaged. When the door slid aside, a red haze of rage covered his sight. Whoever had the audacity to ruin his fun would be found.  
  
And they would pay dearly.  
  


***

  
Zaabon returned from training about half an hour after the time of Furiza's discovery. Whenever his lord decided to make a visit to his father and older brother, he always chose to stay on board. He disliked the other two Changelings even more than he did Furiza and that was saying a lot.  
  
"Oh, Zaabon," Dodoria said in a sing-song tone that made the taller aide's skin crawl. He smirked as he exited the inner sanctum. "Lord Furiza would like to have a word with you."  
  
His heart began to hammer wildly in his chest. ' _Did he-?_ ' "Lord Furiza," he said as he kneeled. He couldn't allow his imagination to run wild, it would give him a panic attack. "You wished to see me?"  
  
"It has come to my attention that my beloved pets have all run away." This was said in a very calm voice that Zaabon knew would change. "Do you know why that happened?"  
  
Eyes wide with terror, the aide stared at Furiza's lazily moving tail. He had seen men brutally impaled by the hard tip, watched the light die from their eyes as they lay slumped over the appendage. Taking a deep breath so that no stutter would pass through his lips, Zaabon answered. "I was not aware that the Saiya-jin had vanished, my lord. Please excuse my oversight, it will never happen again."  
  
The hover chair turned in a tight circle and beads of sweat popped out onto Zaabon's body. He recognized the expression on Furiza's face, nothing good ever came from it. "You should know that lying to me isn't the wisest course of action, Zaabon." His fingertips with their sharp black nails came to a point over his lap. "The Saiya-jin have been missing for exactly twenty-one hours and thirty minutes. Two meals have been served since then, my dear aide, and you were in charge of feeding them." His small hands moved to the arms of his hover chair and he pushed himself forward as if to rise. Zaabon took two stumbling steps backward and wondered if he could make it to the door before the Changeling could fully stand.  
  
He didn't think so but it was worth a shot. Stepping backward as fast as he could, he grabbed for the doorknob and was surprised to feel it in his hand. Zaabon turned it, eyes still staring at Furiza, and stumbled backward through it. He escaped! There was no time to question why, he had to put distance between himself and the menace.  
  
' _Oh God oh God oh God..._ ' Words streamed rapidly through his mind as he darted the long way to his quarters. He knew that it was probably suicidal to enter a room with only one exit, but the few things he had managed to salvage from his home planet were there. Under no circumstances was he going to allow them to stay behind. They were all he had left to remember of a peaceful, happy life.  
  
Stuffing his meager possessions into a cloth bag, his next stop was the hangar. There were still a few single person pods there and he knew how to ready one for flight in just a few minutes. As he initiated the start-up sequence, he wondered why Furiza hadn't found him yet. It wasn't as if he was stupid -- the tyrant knew that he was going to attempt an escape. So he was either part of a plan or Furiza had become incredibly dense in just a few minutes.  
  
Guess which one he was betting on.  
  
Even though Zaabon had a feeling that his lord was allowing him to escape, he couldn't stay on the planet. Furiza may not execute him as a traitor, but that did not mean King Kold or Koola would follow suit. He'd rather not risk death at all, thank-you-very-much.  
  
He typed in the memorized coordinates for a certain blue planet in a distant solar system and settled into his seat. There were several life support functions in addition to the oxygen that would keep him alive. First, he would find a planet or a space station to purchase additional supplies from and then he would head out on a direct course to his new home.  
  
"You're clear for take-off, Zaabon," a voice crackled from the loudspeaker. "Hatch opening in five, four, three, two-"  
  
A conveyor moved the small pod between the two tight doors of the airlock. With a hiss, the air was depressurized and the second door opened to admit him into space.  
  
' _I can't believe that I'm finally getting away from there._ ' He pressed a trembling hand to the small viewport window. ' _Thank God._ '


	9. Chapter 9

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 9**

 

Vegeta alternated taking bites of his mediocre meal with reading paragraphs of text. Several sheets of paper were spread across a corner table in the mess hall. They were the notes from an earlier meeting and the requests from various Saiya-jin both on and off the ship. Very few things related to the old empire had been saved so it was necessary that they create a government from scratch.  
  
In three days he had attended six meetings, most of them had something to do with governing the people. Personally, he felt that they actually needed laws before assigning people to enforce them, but the Elder Ones saw things just a little bit differently. He knew that it was important to listen to those who had lived long lives underneath the old rule, but that didn't stop him from wanting to knock a few hard heads together.  
  
"I should have known that you would be doing this," Bardock said as he cleared a spot on the table large enough for his tray. He shook his head at the paperwork and tried to imagine himself spending hours on it. He couldn't. "You know that I'll help you in any way, but if you ask me to look over papers I will be forced to hurt you."  
  
The king chuckled. "I'm not cruel enough to make anyone do this." At his papa's raised eyebrow look he amended his statement. "Usually."  
  
"Excuse me, sir," said a small voice at his elbow. Vegeta started and looked behind himself only to find empty space. Confused, he looked down and found the small eyes of a little girl staring back at him.  
  
"Did you need something?" he asked, more than a little wary. Children were out of his league and, despite having been one once upon a time, he had no idea what to do with them. Luckily there were very few of the little rugrats running around the ship.  
  
She held up a rather decrepit teddy bear whose body parts looked ready to fall off. "Mommy said that you make things better."  
  
"Oh really?" he looked at her stuffed animal. "Is something wrong with him?"  
  
"His name's Boo-Boo and he needs a doctor. Can you help him please, sir?"  
  
' _What makes her think that I can fix a stuffed animal?_ ' He was fully aware of a very entertained Bardock watching his every move. ' _No matter what I do, I'm going to make a fool out of myself. Damn it._ ' "What's your name?"  
  
"Kyuuri," she answered.  
  
"Give me your bear, Kyuuri, and I'll take care of him."  
  
She smiled and handed him over. "You *are* a good man just like my mommy said." Kyuuri suddenly hugged him, surprising both the king and Bardock, and skipped away.  
  
"Are you going to take him into surgery, Dr. Vegeta?" he asked with a laugh. "You don't even know how to sew."  
  
"Do you?" he asked. "For some odd reason I don't want to let that little girl down."  
  
Bardock grinned even wider. "Why, Vegeta, I do think you're becoming nice!"  
  
"Don't say that!" he exclaimed. "It'll make me look weak."  
  
The expression on his face changed faster than Vegeta could even blink. Bardock leaned in closer and motioned for him to do the same. "Listen Vegeta, there is no shame in showing a little compassion and kindness. By doing so you cut down on assassination attempts, riots, and revolutions. It's smart leadership."  
  
"Okay, Bardock, but someone's going to have to teach me how to sew. I've never wanted to learn women's work."  
  
"You cook, don't you?"  
  
"That's only because it keeps me alive. If I didn't need food, I wouldn't go near a kitchen."  
  
Bardock grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and shook it. "You wear clothes, don't you? They're the most basic form of shelter, boy. Without them you would be exposed to the elements and would eventually die. Knowing how to sew can also keep you alive if you have to stitch up a wound to stop yourself from bleeding to death."  
  
"I've never looked at it that way," he said, appropriately chastised.  
  
"You got a meeting later?" he asked while briefly scanning a document. Vegeta gratefully allowed the subject to be changed. "Need any help with it?"  
  
Vegeta finished off his meal and gathered his things. "We have to decide what to do once we land on Chikyuu. Do we go in as invaders and hope for the best or do we try to negotiate with the people for land? I don't have any alternate choices."  
  
"We need to know more about that planet before we can make a decision. Does anyone have any data on it?" Bardock grabbed the nearest Saiya-jin. "Get all the available data on Chikyuu and bring it down to the conference room."  
  
"Yes, sir," he saluted and marched off.  
  
"If we do negotiate, what will we give them in return?" Bardock continued. "Protection from outside invaders can be offered, but what if someone attacks that's just as strong as we are and has three times as many people?"  
  
"There have to be strong defenders on Chikyuu or it wouldn't have existed this long."  
  
"We're assuming that they're strong people, Vegeta, and that they've had contact with extraterrestrials in the past. What if they're as weak as one of our newborns?"  
  
Vegeta thought about that for a moment and sighed. "This is why I need your suggestions, Papa. So far there isn't a good solution to our problem."  
  
"We could just ask them for help, you know. That's a third option."  
  
"And be indebted to them forever?" Vegeta snorted. "You've got to be kidding."  
  
Bardock said nothing. He had known the response to his suggestion before he'd even spoke the words. Vegeta's pride would not allow him to ask for help even though it could mean the death of them all.  
  
Those who attended the meeting all had an important purpose for being there. The seven men sat around the table, with Vegeta at its head, and turned serious eyes toward their king. After shuffling his papers for a moment and mentally preparing himself, he began.  
  
"By now I'm sure that you all know our dilemma. What should we do when we land on Chikyuu? It's not an easy question to answer. Invasion seems to be the method everyone finds the most acceptable. Taking their land and their resources by force will show that we are the superior race. That isn't a smart option, however." He locked eyes with each and every man. "Based on the data I've been able to obtain, they greatly outnumber us; approximately ten million to one." He smiled grimly at their gasps of surprise. "Even if we factor in that one Saiya-jin could probably kill ten humans easily, there are still too many remaining."  
  
"So what do we do, sire?" Elder Panpukin asked.  
  
"There are two other options. We can go and negotiate for land and resources," he received a few approving nods, "or we can ask for them." Silence. ' _I knew that last one wouldn't go over well,_ ' he sighed to himself. ' _As much as I hate to admit it, that may be our only choice._ '  
  
Retasu, a lieutenant in the former Saiya-jin army, frowned. "Let me test my understanding," he said slowly. "Our only good options are to negotiate with things that we don't have or go in begging for help?"  
  
"Begging is too strong of a word," Vegeta told him. "*Asking* is the correct term. We can do without a city if we must. Some of our people chose to live directly from the land long ago in nomadic tribes with no true home. If there is no other choice we still have something to fall back upon."  
  
"Is that a fourth option?" the elder asked with mixed feelings. On one hand he felt that Saiya-jin should never rely on another race for survival, on the other he didn't think his weary bones could take so much walking around. And with the ever-present threat of human attack, they could never be truly secure in any place.  
  
"Should it be?" Vegeta asked, truly wondering. For the first time since receiving the Right of Caste from his father, he felt that it took the opinion of many to form a good decision. After all, wasn't it affecting everyone? "Whatever we decide, we must put it to a vote among the other Saiya-jin. It's their future as well."  
  
That drew a silence so pregnant with disbelief that, for a moment, Vegeta regretted his words. The feeling lasted only for a few seconds and it left him feeling defiant. "What are you saying?" Elder Oshinko asked, face red with anger. "Should we throw out several millennia of traditions just because a young, know-nothing king suggests that we should?!"  
  
Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I've suggested nothing. I am king here!" He stood up and leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. Lowering his voice, he spoke with finality. "So shall it be written, so shall it be done."  
  
Afterward, when all the men had departed in various states of unrest, Bardock approached the king. The two of them stood silently for a moment, each consumed with their own thoughts, until Bardock felt that he had the best words chosen. "Going this route with the government has a chance of working. Our people have been shown that the old ways no longer work, but still need convincing that the new ways are better. You're young and the elders may not listen, yet what you say makes a lot of sense."  
  
"I am still king, Papa. My word is law."  
  
"If you want to have people vote about things, your word is no longer final. Think about that for a little while." He briefly clasped his shoulder and left the room.  
  
He took his advice and sat down to think. Could he give up the ultimate power of a king and be satisfied with the power of a lesser ruler? Could he handle a majority ruling on a decision if it was one he would not have made? Would the Saiya-jin themselves even go for this type of democratic government? Vegeta thought about it long and hard. The class system of old Planet Vegeta was still what most people based personal worth on. The third class would not be considered equal to the first class in any way, yet they were all of the same race. Would the three classes of Saiya-jin work together to make society a better place for them all?  
  
' _Saiya-jin just aren't capable of equality,_ ' Vegeta said to himself. ' _We prey upon those of a lower class because they are weaker than us in power. It wouldn't matter that they're strong in other ways. The old governmental beliefs are just too ingrained within us all._ ' It couldn't work, Vegeta realized, the others wouldn't allow it.  
  
However, in his heart, Vegeta knew that he was doing the right thing. Convincing others of that could be a problem, unfortunately. Bardock was the one he usually went to for help, the only person he could trust. This time, though, he felt that he had to solve the problem entirely on his own.  
  


***

  
Why does someone who is obviously not of his family get special privileges from his father? When they were all captives on Furiza's ship he hadn't even been noticed. Standing behind the crowd of Saiya-jin in the cell, he quietly observed a positive relationship that had never been present between Bardock and himself. How had a short ass prince become that close to his father? Raditzu had memories of a cold-hearted fighter who'd never spent time with his son. That was how Saiya-jin relationships were supposed to be; it was how they'd always been.  
  
Now it seemed that things were changing. It could be argued that the true change had begun when the former king allied himself with Furiza. Certainly that was when they'd started sending infants off to distant worlds. Yet the destruction of Planet Vegeta also marked the beginning of change. The Saiya-jin had to adjust to being without a home and to wandering aimlessly through space.  
  
Raditzu, at first, had resented his father. After all, Bardock had boarded a ship with the prince instead of his own son. Years passed, his heart filled with hate, and suddenly he missed him. Missed the sparring they used to do, missed the guidance -- he even missed the harsh words! He didn't know how to repair their relationship, but Vegeta's new inheritance of rule suddenly made all things possible. Here was a chance to deviate from the accepted Saiya-jin social behavior and love his father. The king was doing it, why shouldn't he?  
  
"What are you thinking about?" asked Houren, Raditzu's best friend. He had known him for as long as he could remember and, although most Saiya-jin could never claim friendship with anyone, they'd grown close. "Your face went from pissed to thoughtful very quickly."  
  
"I was thinking about my father and how Vegeta's stolen his attention." Fists clenching, he felt anger rise within him once more. "Why is Bardock being so kind to him? He's not even his flesh and blood!"  
  
Houren shook his head at his friend's irrationality. "Bardock's spent seventeen years around Vegeta and only eight around you. He doesn't even know anything about you anymore. Family ties aren't determined by blood alone."  
  
"It's still not right, Hou. Vegeta isn't his son!" The fists came down hard onto the table and then his hands opened. "When he sees my little brother again, will they also be closer than he and I?"  
  
"You and Bardock have *never* been close. Why is that bothering you all of a sudden?"  
  
Raditzu thought about it and could not come up with an answer. "I've never needed attention from anyone before."  
  
"I'm going to tell you what's going on. You really could care less about Bardock noticing you, but you also can't stand the thought of someone else getting his attention. It's like you don't know what you have until it's gone."  
  
Unable to sit any longer, Raditzu began to pace the room. "What do I have to do to stop feeling this way?"  
  
"Accept the fact that your father is a weird Saiya-jin and actually cares about people." He grinned. "Actually, I don't have a clue. That's something you're going to have to figure out on your own."  
  
"Some help you are," he grumbled even though he knew that Houren was telling the truth.  
  
The sound of many feet running down the hallway made the two young Saiya-jin tense up. "What the hell is going on out there?" Houren asked loudly.  
  
One woman paused in the doorway and rolled her eyes. "King Vegeta has an announcement and those idiots are acting as if he's dying or something."  
  
"Vegeta!" Raditzu spat out like a curse. "Little bastard."  
  
"Hey, if he hears you talk about him like that you're probably gonna get the shit beat out of you. Look what happened to Sukatshu and he only said something about Bardock!" She shook her head. "You're walking on dangerous ground, kid."  
  
Growling, he left the bedroom he shared with Houren. "I don't care if the ground is littered with broken glass, he is what he is."  
  
"Rad, she's right. You talk about him that way when people can overhear, the consequences are gonna be bad."  
  
Glaring at him, he stalked down the hallway. "You say that like I give a damn."  
  
Houren knew that nothing good could come from his attitude. If Raditzu didn't tone it down, eventually the king was going to find out.  
  
And then there would be hell to pay.


	10. Chapter 10

**_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 10**

 

"First, second, and third class Saiya-jin, I have important news. In just a few days we will be coming upon the frontier planet of Chikyuu, but, unfortunately, we have no plan of action. I wish to ask you, the people of our new empire, to decide what we will do." Vegeta paused a moment to guage the reactions of his people. Most were intrigued. "Option number one: we can go into unknown territory in all of our aggressive might and probably be cut down where we stand; option number two: we can attempt to negotiate with something that we probably do not have; or option number three: we can ask them for assistance. I leave you now to vote on this matter. You have five minutes." He turned away from the screens that displayed the bridges of three ships, and left the room.  
  
Bardock was waiting outside. "You're changing the course of history, Vegeta."  
  
"I don't have any other choice." He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Either we alter the way we do things or fail immediately from the start. Society was fucked up back on Vegeta, both you and I know that. I may have only been six years old, but I remember the protests outside the castle. I remember the weekly assassination attempts. I remember fearing revolution." He frowned at the older Saiya-jin. "You have no right to treat me like an ignoramus. After all, I know more about how the government works than you do."  
  
"Would it surprise you that I was only making an observation?" He patted his shoulder and walked off down the hall. "You know what I'm voting for."  
  
Vegeta stared at his back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Did he just compliment me?" A grin. "I think he did."  
  
The five minutes went by quickly and soon (almost *too* soon for his tastes) Vegeta was once again before his people. "Daikon, what are the results?"  
  
Frowning at a piece of paper, the stocky captain of the first ship to leave Planet Vegeta spoke, "Twenty-five for option one, ten for two, and seven for three."  
  
"You seem annoyed at them," Vegeta commented. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Permission to speak freely, sire."  
  
"Granted."  
  
He glanced once at the small crowd behind him and blew out an explosive breath. "These idiots voted for option number one, something we can't possible survive. How many people live on the planet, King Vegeta?"  
  
"Around two billion."  
  
"You see! If that option wins, we're all going to die!" Daikon glared at his crew. "What have you got to say for yourselves?"  
  
For a moment there was only silence. Then one man spoke up. "I would rather die fighting than live with the knowledge that we begged for help."  
  
"I felt that way too, at first," Vegeta told him. "Then I thought of the children who would have no life. Dying so quickly on Chikyuu would serve no purpose. It may be different for you, but I don't want to be remembered as a foolish warrior." He motioned to Nanka to move onward to the next ship. "Results, Nashi."  
  
"May I ask a question first?"  
  
He sighed. What was with all the sudden questions? "Go ahead."  
  
"Would the results make any bit of difference? Are you just allowing us to think that we have any input in the way you run things?" His fully-white mustache twitched slightly as he pursed his lips. "This is highly unorthodox."  
  
"Why would I waste everyone's time by asking this of you?!" Vegeta's voice rose of its own accord. "Don't you think I have better things to do than listen to voting results?"  
  
There was a brief pause until Nashi realized that his king's questions weren't rhetorical. "It's not my place to wonder, sire."  
  
"Just give me the damn results."  
  
"Right away, sire. Ten, one, and thirty-six."  
  
Dark eyebrows rose almost even with his widow's peak. "That was unexpected," he said. "Is there a large amount of elders on your ship?"  
  
"No, sire. Mostly young ones barely into adulthood. They've never seen real battles before so that's why they hesitated to select option one."  
  
The other two sets of results were remarkably similar to those from ship number two. Option one had a total of fifty-six votes, option two had twenty-six, and option three had eighty-one. Secretly Vegeta was glad things turned out the way they did. He would have hated to overrule the decision after all the preaching he'd done.  
  
"It's settled, then. After we land on Chikyuu we'll request help. That way we'll gain allies instead of enemies."  
  
"Hooray for us," Beibak muttered. He never saw it coming. One minute he was glaring at the radar screen, the next he was lying on the floor beside it. He looked up into the annoyed eyes of his king and knew fear.  
  
"Do you know how tired I am of you?" Vegeta asked in a surprisingly conversational tone. He crouched beside the other man, fingers reaching out to touch the growing bruise on his jaw. "Imagine if my fist had connected with some other extremely tender area." His eyes slowly moved down Beibak's torso until they landed on his groin. "I bet I could've made you cry."  
  
A small incoherent sound left his throat as Vegeta's hand moved. Instead of doing him the ultimate injustice, however, the king stood and turned away. "I will spare your manhood, but next time you won't be so lucky."  
  
Bardock nodded approvingly as the two of them departed. "Now that was a threat worthy of Furiza."  
  
"What threat?" he smirked. "That was a promise."  
  


***

  
It was early afternoon when the shining blue sphere of Chikyuu came into view. The four ships slowly approached it, the faces of old and young alike pressed against windows. Bardock smiled on the bridge, happy that his vision seemed to be correct. Several puzzled glances were sent his way, but none were seen by the soldier. His gaze was fastened solely on the last hope for the Saiya-jin race.  
  
"ETA, Orenji." Vegeta commanded.  
  
The navigator did a few quick calculations in his head. "If we keep going at this speed, we should reach Chikyuu in ten minutes." He continued before Vegeta had even opened his mouth again. "We'll use up too much fuel if we go any faster and that'll be a problem when we try to land."  
  
The king gestured and left the bridge. Orenji stared after him, a puzzled look on his face. "That means keep doing what you already are," Bardock translated. "You know the king is a man of few words. Most of the time, anyway," he amended after a moment.  
  
Vegeta hated not being able to go faster, it gave him too much time to create scenarios inside his head. What kind of reception would they receive? Certainly the people on Chikyuu could detect ships entering their atmosphere. Would they be curious or would they see them as a threat and try to eliminate them as soon as possible? There had only been scant information about the planet, mostly demographical statistics, and none of it told him what he needed to know. Sure, knowing the population totals and structural makeup of the planet was helpful, but without knowing what sort of mentality the people had, he couldn't even begin to imagine a reaction.  
  
' _I'm probably just worrying too much,_ ' he said to himself. ' _If it's just a small group of humans then we can take them without a problem._ '  
  
What if the humans had weapons? Powerful weapons of great destructive might? What would he do then? As a matter of fact, they couldn't even kill a few of the humans that threatened them. Eventually more would find out and that'll most likely bring out an entire army to neutralize the new threat. What's left of their race would be wiped out before they could even begin anew.  
  
Vegeta cursed his overactive formerly-dormant imagination and tried to find something to take his mind away from things. There was always Kyuuri's teddy bear. Bardock had taught him to sew two nights ago and it was slow work. The needle was made of bone and, because it was straight, it was pretty hard sewing around the bear's appendages. So far he had the right leg reattached and was half-way through the left one. Often he wondered why he was repairing Boo-Boo in the first place and, each time, he received the same response from his brain.  
  
Because you don't want to make her sad.  
  
The words always made him pause for a moment. When did he begin to care about other people? When? But his brain was silent, it had no answer to this question. ' _When I ask idiotic things, it *always* has a response. When I need to know something important, I get nothing. Damn it._ ' He blinked and his hand paused in its task. ' _Isn't having conversations in your head the first sign of insanity?_ '  
  
He finished the leg a few minutes later with only a few mistakes along the way, and leaned backward to recline on his bed. There would be much to do for the first week as it would determine whether or not they could resurrect the stability of their former society. Most nights would be spent hunched over policy, critiquing many drafts before creating an official copy. He would have to appoint people to help him, people whose wisdom could guide his hand. Of course Bardock would be one of those people; Vegeta had found his counsel invaluable over the years. He was a man who'd seen numerous horrors and refused to let the mental scars fracture his spirit. Instead, the experiences strengthened the warrior and gave him the knowledge to prevent those things from happening again.  
  
Suddenly, the answer to his previous question hit him. When did he start to care about others? When Bardock began to care about him. It took the fatherly love of one man to erase the apathy his biological father helped to implant within him as a child.  
  
There was a knock on his door. "We're descending, Vegeta."  
  
He placed the bear onto his bed and left the only place he could truly call his own. There would be new places in the future, but he would always remember fondly the tiny cabin on a ship called  _Survivor_.  
  
Vegeta paused after he shut the door, a multitude of words tumbling throughout his mind. Finally he just placed a hand onto Bardock's shoulder and gave one of his rare smiles. "Thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Just... thank you."  
  


***

  
They found a vast field to land in, the four ships just barely fitting. By unspoken agreement the king himself was elected to be the first to set foot onto the soil of their new home and Vegeta did so after giving a short, moving speech.  
  
"So, where are we?" Orenji asked, feeling completely clueless. It was a feeling that drove him crazy. As the senior navigator on Planet Vegeta, it was his job to know their present and future location at all times. "Does anyone have a political map?"  
  
The other three navigators, looking nearly as annoyed as he, shrugged. "You know as well as we do that there's only an image from space," one answered.  
  
"We'll set up camp here and I'll send scouts out in search of other intelligent life." Vegeta divided everyone into three groups: the able-bodied, the handicapped, and the children. Most of the warriors were sent out to secure the perimeter or to search for humans, but some stayed behind to protect those preparing camp. It was mid-afternoon by the time they'd finished and the scouts were just returning. Frustration was the only thing they'd gained.  
  
"We found a small farm about five miles away," Gurepu started, "and I knocked on the door. The woman who answered took one look at us and fainted!"  
  
Another scout continued where his companion left off. "We left Kabu to take care of the woman while we searched for other people." Here their faces grew red. "The farmer found his wife and thought we'd hurt her so he chased us off his property with a pitch fork. Humans are strange people."  
  
"So let me get this straight," Vegeta tried to keep his amusement from showing but he didn't think he was very successful. "You couldn't ask for information because an enraged human male came at you with a farming implement?"  
  
"We couldn't hurt him, you know. That would completely defeat the purpose of option number three." Kabu was indignant for a moment until he realized that his king wasn't really angry. A wry smile crossed his lips and everyone within hearing range exploded into laughter.  
  
A beeping nose suddenly made itself known to a small group of warriors that were shooting dice. A man pressed the button on his scouter, one of the few devices that had survived the collapse of their empire, and marveled at the levels he saw on the lens.  
  
"Uh, King Vegeta?" he said in a voice filled with awe. "I've got some pretty strong life-forces heading towards us."  
  
"Look at me," he commanded, mind already formulating a plan. "Are any stronger than mine?"  
  
"Only one, sire." Yet one was more than enough. Vegeta was the strongest of all their warriors. "It's about three hundred higher."  
  
At Vegeta's word they all scattered, warriors surrounding their makeshift village to protect those unable to do it themselves. Silence fell upon them, all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the unknown warriors. Two minutes passed and then five, until ten minutes later dots appeared in the sky above the horizon. The few specks grew into several larger shapes that eventually turned into what looked to be four humans, a clown, and a not-so-jolly green giant. Before anyone could even wonder about this unusual group of people, they were upon them.  
  
"Alright people listen up!" Vegeta said loudly. "We're gonna talk first, okay? I know that's very un-Saiya-jin-like, but I don't think we have a better choice."  
  
The people dropped down into the small forest just a few dozen feet to the east of their village. For a moment nothing happened and then the leader of the group emerged from the trees. Bardock froze, completely stunned, and only one word dropped from his lips.  
  
"Kakarotto..."  
  


**~OWARI~**


End file.
